The Federal Government has launched the ₦70 billion National Oral Health Strategic Plan 2026–2030 to expand access to oral healthcare, strengthen prevention and accelerate efforts to eliminate Noma as a public health problem in Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, announced this at the commemoration of National Noma Day and National Oral Health Day in Abuja.

He also disclosed that the Federal Executive Council had approved the National Centre for Oral Health Establishment Bill 2026 and transmitted it to the National Assembly.

Expressing concern over Nigeria’s burden of Noma, particularly in the North-West and North-East, the Minister described the disease as preventable but devastating, causing severe facial disfigurement, disability and death, especially among malnourished children.

He noted that over 80 per cent of Nigerians had never visited a dentist, while two out of every three children lived with untreated dental caries. Nigeria has approximately one dentist for every 38,000 people.

To address these gaps, the Ministry has integrated Noma surveillance into the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system and trained frontline health workers, traditional healers and traditional birth attendants across 19 states to identify suspected cases early.

The five-year Strategic Plan prioritises preventive and school-based programmes, integration of oral health into Primary Healthcare through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) and Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), and training and equitable distribution of oral health personnel.

Dr. Salako called on state and local governments to domesticate the Plan and development partners to sustain their support.

In her welcome remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom S. mni, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening oral health within Primary Health Care, particularly through frontline capacity building for early detection and referral.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, pledged legislative support for routine oral health screening and stronger oversight of implementation.

Development partners, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Hilfsaktion Noma, commended the Government’s efforts and reaffirmed their support for treatment, capacity building, survivor support and community awareness.

Declaring the Plan launched, Dr. Salako reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to eliminating Noma as a public health problem and expanding access to quality oral healthcare across Nigeria.