ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian government, through the National Orientation Agency (NOA), has urged citizens to embrace voluntary blood donation as a patriotic duty to save lives, highlighting its critical role in emergencies and routine medical procedures.
The Director-General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, made the appeal in a statement issued on Sunday, emphasizing that voluntary blood donation remains one of the most selfless acts of humanity. He noted that many lives are lost daily across the country due to the unavailability of safe blood for transfusions in hospitals and emergency response situations.
According to Issa-Onilu, Nigeria currently relies heavily on family replacement and commercial blood donors, a practice that carries significant risks of transfusion-transmissible infections. He argued that shifting to a voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation culture would dramatically improve the safety and adequacy of the nation’s blood supply.
The NOA boss disclosed that less than ten percent of blood collected in Nigeria comes from voluntary donors, a figure far below the World Health Organization’s recommendation that one percent of a country’s population should donate blood regularly. He warned that this deficit has dire consequences, particularly for pregnant women suffering complications, accident victims, children with severe anaemia, and patients undergoing surgeries or cancer treatments.
Issa-Onilu called on Nigerians of eligible age, between 18 and 65 years, to make blood donation a regular habit rather than an emergency response. He assured potential donors that the process is safe, simple, and takes only about thirty minutes, adding that the body naturally replaces the donated blood volume within forty-eight hours.
The NOA has launched a nationwide sensitisation campaign to educate citizens on the benefits and safety of voluntary blood donation. The campaign includes community dialogues, school outreach programs, social media engagement, and partnerships with religious and traditional institutions. The agency is also working with the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) to establish accessible donation centres across all local government areas.
The NOA Director-General also addressed common misconceptions that discourage blood donation, such as fears of weakness, weight gain, or contracting infections. He clarified that all blood donation centres use sterile, single-use equipment and that donors are thoroughly screened before being allowed to donate.
Issa-Onilu further appealed to corporate organisations, professional associations, and youth groups to organise regular blood donation drives as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. He noted that such collective efforts would help build a national reserve that could save thousands of lives annually.
The government’s appeal comes amid rising demand for blood products in public and private health facilities across Nigeria. Health experts have repeatedly warned that the country’s blood deficit contributes significantly to maternal mortality, with postpartum haemorrhage remaining a leading cause of death among pregnant women.
The National Blood Service Commission has been working to establish a coordinated national blood transfusion system, but progress has been hampered by inadequate funding, infrastructure gaps, and low public awareness. The NBSC estimates that Nigeria requires approximately two million units of blood annually but currently collects less than half that amount.
As the government intensifies its push for voluntary donations, the message to Nigerians is clear: the blood you donate today could save the life of a mother, a child, a neighbour, or even a family member tomorrow. For now, the NOA continues to knock on doors, broadcast on airwaves, and spread the word across social media, urging every eligible citizen to roll up their sleeves and give the gift of life.
