Juliet Jacob 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government on Thursday said it is placing the health sector at the centre of a new communication strategy aimed at rebuilding public confidence in its policy reforms, signalling a shift away from largely reactive media engagement.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the move during a meeting with senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Abuja, according to a statement from the Presidency.
Idris said the government would adopt a more structured and proactive approach to public communication, beginning with the health sector, to ensure citizens understand how reforms affect their daily lives.
“It is not enough to introduce reforms; Nigerians must clearly see and understand the benefits of those reforms in practical terms,” Idris said, adding that effective communication was essential to restoring trust in government policies.
He said the strategy would involve closer collaboration between the Ministry of Information and service-delivery institutions to explain policies, address public concerns, and counter misinformation, particularly around health-related reforms.
The initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako.
Pate said public awareness was critical to the success of government programmes, noting that limited understanding often undermined policy outcomes.
“Even well-funded programmes can fall short if people do not understand them or know how to access them,” he said.
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Oluwafunbi Bello 
Otamere Gladness 
Chukwu Obinna