Nigeria’s defence leadership is repositioning military healthcare as an operational priority, warning that sustained deployments and evolving threats are placing unprecedented strain on both serving personnel and veterans.
The shift was outlined on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, in Abuja during a familiarisation visit to Defence Health Maintenance Limited (DHML), where the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Mr Richard Pheelangwah, assessed the agency’s capacity and role within the broader defence architecture.
Pheelangwah framed healthcare as a strategic enabler of military effectiveness, stressing that operational success is increasingly tied to the physical and mental resilience of troops operating in high-intensity environments. He stated that Defence Health Maintenance Limited (DHML) “is more needed today than ever before,” insisting that no soldier, officer, or veteran should be excluded from access to care.
He noted that Nigeria’s security landscape, shaped by asymmetric warfare, counterinsurgency operations, and prolonged deployments, has placed an expanded burden on military health systems beyond traditional expectations. In this context, he described DHML not as a support structure but as “a strategic pillar of national defence” that must evolve alongside operational realities.
The visit, he explained, was designed to strengthen administrative oversight while aligning healthcare delivery with defence policy priorities, particularly as the Armed Forces contend with sustained multi-theatre engagements.
The Ministry acknowledged that while DHML has established a nationwide footprint, systemic pressures are beginning to emerge. Pheelangwah highlighted delays in payments to healthcare providers, limited access to specialised tertiary services, and logistical constraints affecting the timely delivery of care.
He argued that these gaps, if left unaddressed, could undermine morale and long-term force sustainability, particularly as the military continues to operate under extended deployment cycles.
To address these gaps, he proposed expanding partnerships with tertiary hospitals, scaling up telemedicine for remote and conflict-prone areas, and strengthening coordination with the Service Medical Corps to improve emergency response timelines. He added that these reforms require coordinated policy support and sustained institutional commitment.
The leadership of DHML outlined both its reach and its constraints. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Surgeon Rear Admiral A.B. Afolayan (rtd), stated that the organisation currently operates across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, supporting over 110,000 veterans and their dependants through a network of more than 135 healthcare providers.
Despite this scale, he identified irregular premium releases, fragmented personnel data, and low awareness among beneficiaries as critical bottlenecks limiting optimal service delivery.