The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ultimate Health Management Services Limited, Lekan Ewenla, has urged Nigerians in the informal sector to embrace health insurance, warning that they remain the weakest link in the country’s drive towards universal healthcare coverage.
Ewenla, a former spokesperson of the Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria, made the call in Lagos on Thursday while speaking at the annual Nigeria Brand Awards, where his organisation won the Health Insurance and Wellness Company of the Year.
He said although the Federal Government had mandated ministries, departments, agencies, and private companies to enrol their workers in health insurance schemes, the majority of Nigerians in the informal sector were still excluded.
“What we should be focusing more on are the people in the informal sector, because they make up the majority of Nigerians,” Ewenla stressed. “The law provides that any organisation with a minimum of five staff must enrol them in the health insurance programme. That applies to private schools, security firms, small businesses, and other informal establishments.”
He explained that health insurance should not be seen as an additional burden but as a conversion of existing medical allowances into premiums, which guarantees access to healthcare without the financial strain of out-of-pocket payments.
“Nigerians die suddenly or are rushed to hospitals because of a lack of money to pay for care. Health insurance eliminates that barrier. With less than N40,000 annually, families can access quality healthcare without dipping into their pockets,” he said.
Ewenla further cautioned that compliance would increasingly be tied to licensing and contract approvals.
“If you run a private school, a security company, or even seek oil sector contracts, you will not be able to renew your licence or secure approvals without evidence of enrolling your workforce in health insurance,” he noted.
While acknowledging lapses in enforcement, he urged the government to strengthen monitoring and sanctions, praising the administration’s efforts to expand healthcare access through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, which subsidises coverage for vulnerable Nigerians.
On Ultimate HMO’s award, Ewenla attributed the recognition to consistency and quality service. “Globally, what drives success is when you provide satisfactory services at all times. So, our unique selling point in Ultimate is the provision of top-notch healthcare services for our enrollees in the country. Also, our consistency since 2005 was majorly responsible for the recognition,” he said.
Chairman of the organising committee, Cammil Chineme, said the awards were designed to celebrate excellence in customer engagement and innovative service delivery across diverse sectors.
