There is something genuinely inspiring about a government that moves beyond slogans and campaign promises into terrain where lives are clearly transformed. In Kaduna State, under Governor Uba Sani, the recent announcement that trachoma has been eliminated is not just a health milestone. It is a testament to leadership, persistence, and respectful partnership with communities.
For those who might not know, trachoma is a tropical bacterial eye infection that causes blindness if left untreated. While it is treatable, neglect has been responsible for thousands of people losing their sights, especially in northern Nigeria. To confront trachoma required more than distribution of drugs or periodic health campaigns: it required a sustained, multifaceted push into the very environment and behaviors that sustain its spread.
Kaduna’s success came because the state government partnered with the federal government and Sightsavers. Methodically, they combed the whole 23 local government areas, with one aim – sight restoration. Hence, at the recently held close out ceremony on the disease, Permanent Secretary of the State’s Ministry of Health, Ms. Aisha Abubakar, described how the feat was achieved.
“Trachoma, a preventable bacterial infection and one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, has long been a burden in areas with poor access to clean water and sanitation,” Dr. Sadiq said, while commending Governor Sani, the Federal Ministry of Health, Sightsavers, and community volunteers for their commitment to eliminating trachoma.
“Your constant dedication has brought hope to hundreds of families and moved Kaduna State closer to the goal of eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases. Through the SAFE strategy Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement we have made trachoma ancient history in Kaduna State. Through this effort, 558,761 residents of Igabi LGA received antibiotics, while 683 individuals across the 11 endemic LGAs benefited from corrective eye surgeries. Ten ophthalmic nurses were trained as trichiasis surgeons, 122 boreholes were constructed, and more than 10,000 community case finders were deployed.”
The Country Coordinator for Trachoma at Sightsavers, Teyil Wamyil-Mshelia, described the day as one of celebration. According to her, Sightsavers worked closely with the state and local communities to end trachoma as a public health problem.
“Kaduna is one of the first states where Sightsavers began its work not only in Nigeria but globally,” she said.
“It’s been 73 years of partnership, and we are proud to see the progress that has been made. With the elimination of trachoma in Kaduna State, we have successfully removed one of the major public health challenges in the state. We have met all the World Health Organisation (WHO) requirements to ensure that trachoma is no longer a threat here.”
It is worth pausing on what elimination really means. The World Health Organization requires that a disease no longer constitutes a public health problem. Kaduna has now met that requirement in relation to trachoma. Of course, to reach that stage is no small feat, and it signals that the Sani administration is not merely chasing headlines or short-term wins. It is laying groundwork for durability.
Critics might ask: was this expensive? Was it politically convenient? Was it worth the investment? The true answer lies in the cost of doing nothing. The pain, the blindness, the lost productivity, the isolation — those are the hidden tolls borne by afflicted communities. Kaduna’s choice to act decisively reflects a moral calculus where leaders understand that governance is responsibility, not spectacle. The investment in surgery, clean water, hygiene education, antibiotics, and environmental infrastructure is a down payment on human dignity. The dividends are lives spared from needless blindness, families kept whole, communities more resilient.
When Ms. Abubakar also disclosed that 558, 761 residents of Igabi LGA received antibiotics, and 683 people across 11 endemic local government areas underwent corrective eye surgeries, one begins to see not just numbers, but faces saved from blindness. That kind of reach—deep into rural areas, into the homes and faces of people who once might have seen no hope—is what separates rhetorical gestures from real governance.
Kaduna’s leadership must be commended not only for achieving elimination, but its coordinated interventions across all 23 local government areas is commendable. Equally important is the manner of partnership. The collaboration with Sightsavers and the buy-in from local communities is not incidental; it is essential. According to Dr. Wamyil-Mshelia, Kaduna’s success came about stakeholder interaction and engagement.
“We began by raising awareness because if people don’t know, they won’t participate,” she explained.
“Community leaders, district heads, and traditional institutions played a crucial role. They took ownership and ensured that community members understood that services were available and beneficial. The Kaduna State Government provided strong support to ensure that these systems continue to function effectively beyond the project. We trained ophthalmic nurses, surgeons, and community volunteers to identify and manage trachoma cases, ensuring that future outbreaks can be handled immediately.”
No matter how well a government plans, if the people themselves do not engage, respect, and sustain, the gains become fragile. That the community volunteered, welcomed interventions, and took ownership is also a tribute to the trust that Kaduna’s leaders have cultivated. A similar style was adopted by the Sani administration in tackling criminality which had crippled several local government areas in the state.
Across the country, many administrations promise health reform, but few deliver on the long haul. What Kaduna’s government has pulled off reshapes the narrative: that a disease once endemic, can be eliminated is simply a well-managed public health strategy. It is a model that can inspire other states. Already, the Kaduna State government is taking the best healthcare his administration can affor to the residents. His administration over 15,000 Vulnerable Persons onto the Kaduna State Health Insurance Scheme. It revitalised existing Primary Health Centres and General Hospitals, equipped and staffed them. But as it has eliminated trachoma, it would do not to rest on its oars. If the same zeal, coordination, and accountability are applied to maternal health, child immunization, water and sanitation, malaria control, and noncommunicable diseases, this state could emerge as a benchmark for public health governance in Nigeria.
One cannot help but feel admiration for an administration that recognizes that health is foundational to human flourishing. Eliminating trachoma is not a political trophy; it is permission for thousands more children to go to school without impediment, for adults to see clearly into their livelihoods, and for families to invest in hope rather than healing. It is a declaration that in Kaduna, no one is meant to suffer from blindness caused by a preventable disease.
Let this achievement register, loudly and permanently, as proof that leadership that listens, partners, plans, and perseveres can make a real difference. Governor Sani and his health team deserve commendation not for what they promised, but for what they delivered. May the legacy of this victory spur further progress, and inspire other leaders to take public healthcare more seriously.
• Hanison writes from Kaduna
