WBDD 2026: Agency Tasks Nigerians On Voluntary Blood Donation 

The National Blood Service Agency (NBSA) has called on Nigerians to embrace voluntary blood donation as part of efforts to ensure a safe, sustainable and adequate blood supply across the country.

Director-General of the agency, Prof. Saleh Yuguda, made the call while announcing the official slogan for the 2026 World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) campaign unveiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The theme for this year’s global campaign is: “One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.”

Prof. Yuguda said the campaign is aimed at encouraging regular, voluntary and unpaid blood donations while raising awareness about the critical role blood and plasma donations play in saving lives and strengthening healthcare systems.

According to him, millions of patients depend on blood transfusions every year, including victims of accidents and emergencies, women experiencing complications during childbirth, surgical patients and individuals receiving treatment for various medical conditions.

He noted that despite increasing demand for blood, many countries, including Nigeria, continue to face challenges in maintaining adequate blood reserves, making voluntary donation more important than ever.

“The campaign seeks to reinforce the spirit of solidarity, compassion and humanity by recognising the invaluable contributions of blood donors and encouraging more people to donate regularly,” he said.

The NBSA boss stressed the need for stronger collaboration among governments, development partners, healthcare institutions and civil society organisations to expand access to safe blood transfusion services.

He disclosed that community engagement would be a major component of this year’s campaign, with the agency taking blood donation advocacy directly to communities nationwide.

According to him, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, women organisations and other grassroots stakeholders will be mobilised to promote awareness and encourage voluntary blood donation at the community level.

Yuguda explained that the initiative is designed to deepen public understanding of blood donation, address misconceptions surrounding the practice and build sustainable donor pools capable of meeting national blood requirements.

He added that the agency would continue to intensify public enlightenment campaigns aimed at encouraging healthy individuals to donate blood regularly as part of their contribution to saving lives.

World Blood Donor Day is commemorated annually on June 14 to recognise voluntary blood donors and promote stronger blood systems globally.

The 2026 campaign is expected to mobilise citizens, healthcare professionals and institutions around the world to support blood donation as a humanitarian act capable of saving millions of lives while advancing universal access to safe blood transfusion services.