LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government has begun enforcing compulsory health insurance after disclosing that only two million of the state’s estimated 30 million residents have voluntarily enrolled in health insurance schemes.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, announced the development in a statement posted on his X account on Sunday, saying the low enrolment rate made enforcement necessary. Abayomi said health insurance could protect households from rising medical costs, warning that a single hospital admission could wipe out a family’s savings.
He explained that the system pools contributions from enrollees to spread healthcare costs, rather than leaving individual households to bear the full financial burden of treatment. “The rich look after the poor, the healthy look after the sick and the young look after the old. It is a numbers game. Only 2 million of 30 million Lagosians have voluntarily enrolled,” he said.
The commissioner said the National Health Insurance Authority Act 2022 provides for compulsory health insurance, while Lagos formalised the policy through Executive Order EO/BOS/01, signed on July 16, 2024. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu launched enforcement of the policy on October 27, 2026, alongside the introduction of the Lagos State Private Health Plans (LPHP).
Abayomi said the state’s Ilera Eko scheme offers subsidised packages for informal sector workers and vulnerable residents, while the LPHP provides unsubsidised plans for formal sector workers. The private health plans are organised into five categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond and Platinum.
He added that the state provides billions of naira in equity funding to support residents who cannot afford even the subsidised insurance packages. Sanwo-Olu has given residents until December 31, 2026, as a grace period before full enforcement begins.
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