NHIA Act Enforcement Urged as ₦1bn Entertainers Fund Launches

In Short

• Femi Falana says Nigeria should enforce the NHIA Act 2022, which makes health insurance mandatory.
• The call came at the launch of a ₦1 billion insurance trust fund for entertainers in Lagos.
• Groove Tyme Entertainment worked with Meristem, Leadway Assurance and other stakeholders on the initiative.

What Happened

Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act 2022 was designed to make health insurance compulsory, so more people can access care without paying large out of pocket bills.

At an event in Victoria Island, Lagos, human rights lawyer Femi Falana urged the Federal Government to fully implement the NHIA Act to guarantee health insurance coverage for Nigerians. He argued that enforcement matters most for vulnerable groups, including workers in the entertainment industry.

The event also marked the launch of a ₦1 billion insurance trust fund targeted at players in the entertainment sector. The organisers said the fund is meant to provide insurance protection for artists and other vulnerable workers in the industry. Certificates were presented to members of the Board of Trustees.

Falana said Nigeria has long relied on the “extended family” system to support people in hardship, but that this informal safety net has weakened. He referenced the older National Health Insurance Scheme set up in 1999, which he said only covered a small share of the population.

He also called for more awareness of insurance, noting that many Nigerians still do not understand how it works or why it matters.

Why It Matters

Mandatory health insurance is a policy tool that spreads healthcare costs across a larger pool of people, similar to how car insurance spreads accident risk. It can reduce sudden medical bills that push households and freelancers into debt.

For Nigeria’s creative economy, the trust fund signals growing interest in structured financial protection, not charity, for artists and gig workers. If more sector groups adopt similar models, insurers and health plan administrators may see new demand for group cover, claims management, and digital enrolment tools.

The bigger test is execution. Without strong enforcement of the NHIA Act, Nigeria will likely continue to see low coverage and high out of pocket spending, even as private sector funds try to fill gaps.