As Nigeria joins the global community to mark World Blood Donor Day, the director-general of the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), Prof. Saleh Yuguda, has attributed the persistent shortage of safe blood to the country’s high maternal mortality and accident-related deaths, calling it a national emergency that demands urgent collective action.
This is even as the first lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, urged Nigerians to embrace blood donation as a civic duty and a powerful act of hope and healing.
Remi Tinubu, who spoke at the commemoration of the 2025 World Blood Donor Day, themed: “give blood, give hope: Together We Save Lives” held yesterday in Abuja, called for voluntary blood donation to save lives of a mother in labour, an accident victim, or a child undergoing surgery.
Represented by the wife of the vice president, Hajiya Nana Shettima, Mrs Tinubu stressed that donating blood could be the difference between life and death.
Prof. Yuguda said the non-availability of blood was responsible for about 40 per cent of maternal deaths and 30 per cent of deaths from road accidents in Nigeria.
“This is not just a statistic, it represents mothers who won’t return home, children who will never grow up and patients who die not because treatment doesn’t exist, but because blood doesn’t,” he said.
Prof. Yuguda warned that the country needs over two million units of blood annually, but collects less than half of that, leaving a devastating gap. He stressed that if just one per cent of Nigeria’s adult population committed to voluntary, regular and non-remunerated blood donation, the shortage could be overcome.
“Voluntary blood donors are the unsung heroes of our healthcare system. They don’t appear on newspaper covers, but they give life, hope and relief with every pint,” he said.
He noted that patients undergoing surgery, children under five with severe malaria, malnourished children, cancer patients and persons with sickle cell disease are some of the most vulnerable who depend on timely blood transfusions to survive.
On June 14 every year, the world marks World Blood Donor Day, a global tribute to the millions of voluntary, unpaid blood donors who give others a second chance at life.
Prof. Yuguda called on religious leaders to preach the message of giving life through blood; the private sector to integrate blood donation into corporate social responsibility; and the media to amplify awareness.
“When you give blood, you’re not just donating red liquid, you’re giving hope to parents, relief to doctors, and life to patients,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to the first lady and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for their unwavering support. He also celebrated the youth who participated in the maiden World Blood Donor Day mini-marathon, urging them to become lifelong ambassadors of voluntary blood donation.
“Let us not wait until someone we love is in need. Let us act now. Give blood. Give hope. Together, we can save lives,” he said.
