Nigeria must strengthen political will, accelerate socio-cultural reforms and overhaul its health systems if it hopes to reduce its persistently high maternal and neonatal mortality rates, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Wednesday.
The agency stressed that saving mothers and newborns requires far more than clinical solutions. It called for a combination of policy commitment, community engagement, improved health financing and stronger accountability systems. It also emphasized the need for programs that expand women’s autonomy, education and access to family-planning services.

Lordfred Achu, UNFPA Nigeria’s Technical Specialist for Reproductive and Maternal Health, delivered the warning at the 66th National Council on Health meeting in Calabar. This year’s conference, themed “My health, my right: Accelerating universal health coverage through equity, resilience, and innovation,” focused on structural and systemic gaps that continue to slow progress in maternal health.

Maternal Mortality Drivers Demand Urgent Attention

Achu said that Nigeria’s challenges remain deeply entrenched. Limited female autonomy, weak health infrastructure, inadequate health financing, sporadic coordination across sectors and shortages of skilled personnel have all contributed to stalled improvements. These problems, combined with low contraceptive uptake and high adolescent fertility rates, have left Nigeria with one of the world’s highest maternal mortality burdens.

New data from the 2025 Nigeria Health Statistics Report illustrates the severity of the crisis. Between January and September 2025, Nigeria recorded 20,811 maternal, neonatal and under-five deaths. In the first quarter alone, the country reported 1,244 maternal deaths and 1,706 neonatal deaths. The numbers continued rising through the year, with under-five mortality spiking significantly in the third quarter.

Maternal deaths, according to the report, stem largely from complications in pregnancy and childbirth, cardiovascular diseases, malaria, cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes mellitus, sepsis, anaemia and tuberculosis. Neonatal and under-five deaths are primarily driven by diarrhoea, pneumonia, malnutrition, meningitis, sepsis, tetanus and hypoxaemia — most of which are preventable with stronger systems and earlier care.

Tackling Maternal Mortality Requires Coordinated Action

UNFPA said the figures show that Nigeria cannot rely solely on medical intervention to curb maternal and neonatal deaths. Meaningful progress will require rethinking health financing, expanding community-level outreach and designing programs that empower women to make informed reproductive choices. Experts at the conference agreed that only a coordinated national response — one that merges political commitment with improved budgeting, cultural transformation and resilient primary healthcare systems — can reverse Nigeria’s dangerous trend and secure safer outcomes for mothers and children.