The Executive Secretary of the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr. Vetty Agala, has described the state’s social health insurance agency as a legacy project of Governor Siminalayi Fubara aimed at ensuring that residents have access to quality and affordable healthcare.
Agala stated this in Port Harcourt on Friday, September 11, 2026, when she led the management team of RIVCHPP on an advocacy visit to the headquarters of Renaissance Africa Energy Limited.
She said the agency was established to advance the governor’s #Health4AllRivers vision by expanding access to healthcare services across the state.
According to her, since the operationalisation of RIVCHPP in January 2024, the agency has sustained awareness campaigns across the formal and informal sectors, resulting in steady growth in enrolment.
Agala said that although Rivers State was among the last states in Nigeria to operationalise a health insurance agency, RIVCHPP had risen to 13th position in Universal Health Coverage and was recognised as the most improved state at the 2025 Joint Annual Review Meeting of the Federal Ministry of Health.
She disclosed that the programme had enrolled more than 160,000 residents across the 23 local government areas of the state, giving them access to quality healthcare services.
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The RIVCHPP boss attributed the progress recorded by the agency to the collective commitment of the state government and stakeholders towards building a resilient and inclusive healthcare financing system.
She added that RIVCHPP was implementing comprehensive healthcare plans covering different population groups, including vulnerable residents, with the aim of protecting households from health poverty and catastrophic health expenditure.
Agala also congratulated the General Manager, Health, Renaissance Africa Energy Limited, Dr. Akinwumi Fajola, on his recent promotion and commended the company for supporting the promotion of health insurance within its operational areas.
Speaking, Fajola said perceived bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with government agencies had sometimes made members of the public and private organisations sceptical about engaging with them.
He, however, said Agala’s leadership at RIVCHPP had demonstrated positive changes capable of encouraging individuals and organisations to establish stronger relationships with the agency.
Fajola pledged that Renaissance Africa Energy Limited would further strengthen its engagement with RIVCHPP by constituting a joint team of representatives from both organisations to deliberate on and develop appropriate partnership modalities.
He said the partnership would seek to strengthen RIVCHPP’s operations and contribute to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage in Rivers State.
The visit featured the exchange of promotional materials and souvenirs between the two organisations.
