Korede Abdullah 
Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi
LAGOS, Nigeria — An estimated six million Lagos residents are living with hypertension, with the majority unaware of their condition, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, warns.
Speaking on Tuesday at a leadership dialogue organised by the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board in partnership with Nigeria Health Watch and other stakeholders, Abayomi says the figure represents nearly 20 per cent of the state’s estimated 30 million population.
He describes hypertension, diabetes and obesity as “silent killers” that continue to overwhelm hospitals with preventable complications.
According to the commissioner, about 70 per cent of hypertensive residents — roughly 4.2 million people — remain undiagnosed, allowing the condition to progress unnoticed until severe damage occurs.
“Hypertension and diabetes often develop without symptoms until patients present with heart failure, kidney disease or stroke,” Abayomi says.
He explains that many of these cases could be prevented through routine screening and early detection at primary healthcare centres. However, weak utilisation of PHCs remains a major challenge in Lagos.
Abayomi notes that many residents bypass public primary health facilities in favour of private hospitals or informal care providers. He adds that the state’s healthcare system is further strained by a large informal sector, revealing that Lagos has more than 20,000 traditional medicine practitioners compared to about 7,000 medical doctors.
Beyond non-communicable diseases, the commissioner describes child malnutrition as one of the state’s most troubling health indicators. He discloses that four in every 10 children in Lagos suffer from some form of malnutrition, a situation he calls unacceptable for a megacity.
The leadership dialogue focuses on strengthening grassroots healthcare through improved collaboration, sustainable financing and better service delivery, with the aim of shifting attention from costly hospital care to prevention and early intervention.
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Koko Maxwella 
Hussaini Ibrahim 
Oluwatobi Adu 