By Aderogba George
Dr Adanna Steinacker, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Women’s Health, on Wednesday inaugurated the ‘renewHER Saving Our Mothers’ campaign in Abuja to strengthen maternal health advocacy and outcomes across the country.
Steinacker also inaugurated state ambassadors for the initiative to drive advocacy across the 36 states and the FCT.
She said Nigeria was not lacking in maternal health programmes but faced gaps in last-mile awareness, trust, and utilisation of available services.
“Maternal deaths often occur at the point where services exist but women are unable to access or use them. That is where we must now concentrate our national efforts,” she said.
She explained that the campaign serves as the advocacy and health literacy component under the renewHER platform, aimed at bridging the gap between services and beneficiaries.
According to her, the initiative will work through the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health’s Department of Family Health, to amplify safe motherhood priorities.
“Today, we are inaugurating renewHER ambassadors across the 36 states and the FCT to serve as a structured and accountable mobilisation network for maternal health literacy and service utilisation.
“This is not symbolic; it is a delivery framework. This is the moment to move from goodwill to concrete partnerships,” she said.
Steinacker emphasised that the initiative seeks to ensure that no woman dies while giving life.
Dr Samuel Oyeniyi, Director of the Reproductive Health Division, Department of Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, commended the initiative and described it as a major step towards improving maternal health outcomes.
He urged stakeholders, including government agencies, development partners, civil society, and the private sector, to support the campaign and expand its reach to communities nationwide.
Also speaking, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCT Administration (FCTA), said the initiative aligned with ongoing efforts to strengthen primary healthcare delivery.
Fasawe noted that the administration of President Tinubu was prioritising improved access to skilled birth attendants and enhancing community-level awareness.
She said the campaign reflected a people-centred approach that combines advocacy, service delivery, and accountability to ensure no woman or child is left behind.
Earlier, Mrs Uju-Rochas Anwukah, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health and Nutrition, said the initiative complements ongoing efforts to promote nutrition across the 774 local government areas.
She said the administration, under the leadership of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, was focused on reaching underserved populations, particularly women and children in rural communities.
Anwukah said the initiative would help drive coordinated action, strengthen financing, improve data for decision-making, and sustain advocacy to keep maternal and child health at the centre of national development.
She added that maternal well-being goes beyond physical health, stressing the importance of mental and emotional support for women to build stable families and communities. (NAN)
Edited by Tosin Kolade
