Lagos State has unveiled two new diaspora health insurance plans aimed at tourists, returning Nigerians and families living abroad, marking another major step in expanding its Ilera-Eko coverage. The Lagos State Health Management Agency introduced the Ilera-Eko Waka-Well and Ilera-Eko Home Konnect packages at its 2025 fourth Quarter Media Parley held in Alausa on Tuesday. Stakeholders at the event described the new products as a strong push toward better health financing and progress toward Universal Health Coverage. The engagement also set a fresh agenda for improved understanding and transparency around the Lagos State Health Scheme.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Health Management Agency, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, explained that the new plans were created after noticing rising demand from Nigerians in the diaspora. She said the Agency also recognised the need to protect visitors and residents under Lagos State’s mandatory health insurance structure. According to her, the introduction aligns with the spirit of Universal Health Coverage Day, which is three days away, and reflects the Agency’s commitment to ensuring that “no one is left behind.” She added that the new plans represent a major expansion of the existing Ilera-Eko diaspora package.
Dr. Zamba noted that the Agency started holding quarterly media parleys in March 2025 to strengthen transparency and deepen public understanding of reforms taking place within the Lagos State Health Scheme. She said the platform has grown into one of the most reliable ways of providing the public with updates on innovations, new policies and achievements recorded by the Agency. She added that these interactions have helped residents follow the progress of health insurance reforms across Lagos.
Highlighting earlier innovations, she mentioned the Ilera-N’tiwa Cooperative, the Ilera-Eko Academy, telemedicine services and the Ilera-Eko Spotlight Online Radio, which she described as Nigeria’s first health insurance radio platform. She said these efforts show that the Agency continues to lead with solutions that strengthen service delivery and help more Lagos residents enrol for health insurance.
Giving more details on the new diaspora plans, Dr. Zamba explained that Lagos State Health Management Agency partnered with Pinnacle Global Business Services, Nomad Doc Limited and Mrs. Taiwo Salvador to promote the plans within Nigeria and in international communities. She said the decision to rebrand the diaspora package into two distinct plans will help travellers, Nigerians abroad and families living outside the country to access more flexible and sustainable health coverage for their loved ones in Lagos. According to her, the plans were designed with different groups in mind to ensure people can choose what fits their travel patterns or family needs.
Dr. Zamba also assured residents that recent adjustments made to regulate maternal and surgical services have already started recording positive results. She emphasised that these changes do not affect the benefit package already promised under the social health insurance system. She explained that families in Lagos can still access antenatal care, normal delivery, caesarean section services and other surgical procedures once the guiding conditions are met.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olanrewaju Bajulaiye, also spoke at the event and described Ilera-Eko as the most affordable health insurance option available to Lagos residents. To illustrate the cost-effectiveness, he said a family of six can enjoy full coverage for about 180 to 220 naira per day, which he compared to being less than the cost of a sachet of paracetamol. He encouraged journalists to give wide publicity to the programme and added that word-of-mouth promotion could help expand enrolment quickly.
Mr. Bajulaiye shared personal examples of women whose maternal outcomes improved because they could access delivery services under the scheme without facing huge financial burdens. He said the Executive Order signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made health insurance mandatory for residents and urged Lagosians to take advantage of the opportunity. He stated that the Agency has successfully brought healthcare “to the doorsteps” of people across the state through accredited providers.
In his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Diaspora and Foreign Relations, Mr. Jermaine Sanwo-Olu, praised Dr. Zamba and the Lagos State Health Management Agency for what he called a groundbreaking innovation within the African health insurance space. He said Nigerians across the world are excited about the Waka-Well and Home Konnect plans because they address major gaps in diaspora healthcare support. According to him, the Waka-Well package was designed to serve returning visitors, especially during festive seasons such as the popular “Detty December,” by providing affordable and immediate access to healthcare.
Mr. Jermaine described Lagos as a safe, vibrant and fast-growing destination that needs a health insurance model tailored for returning travellers and tourists. He explained that the Home Konnect plan is a lifeline for Nigerians abroad who send money home regularly for healthcare but face sustainability challenges. He said the new plan offers structured and reliable coverage for families in Lagos and removes the constant pressure of sending medical remittances.
During the technical presentation, the Head of Business Development at the Lagos State Health Management Agency, Mr. Rotimi Olatunji, said the Waka-Well plan offers coverage for common travel-related illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and diarrhoea. It also includes diagnostics, emergency care, telemedicine, dental care, eye care and local ambulance evacuation. According to him, the plan costs 45,000 naira for a 90-day stay and 75,000 naira for multiple trips or longer stays.
Mr. Olatunji said the target groups for Waka-Well include tourists, charity workers, researchers, sportsmen, cultural groups and non-immigrants. He noted that more than 550,000 Nigerians had arrived through the Lagos airport by mid-November 2024 and spent over 350 billion naira during the season. He stated that the new product would turn “dirty December” into “healthy December.”
Explaining the Home Konnect plan, he said it allows Nigerians abroad to pay health insurance premiums seamlessly for their family members in Lagos. The package covers general and specialist consultation, physiotherapy, chronic disease care, blood transfusion, surgeries, maternal care, services for newborns and an annual wellness check. He said the potential market includes more than 20 million Nigerians living abroad who want a dependable system for supporting relatives at home.
The CEO of Pinnacle Global Business Services, Mr. Akande Ojo, praised the vision behind the new plans and said his company is ready to help push the products into global markets. According to him, the growing trust in Lagos State’s health reforms makes international promotion easier and strengthens confidence in the system.
The Board Chairman of Nomad Doc Limited, Dr. Elizabeth Onifade, said the plans will boost health outcomes, reduce stress for families and provide continuity of care for vulnerable groups in Lagos. She promised full collaboration in marketing, technology and service support.
The media parley also gave journalists an opportunity to ask questions about implementation, premium structure and the provider network linked to the new plans. Lagos State Health Management Agency assured that media professionals would receive complete documentation to support wider public education.
With the launch of the two diaspora plans, the Agency wrapped up its final media parley for 2025. Dr. Zamba said she is hopeful that 2026 will come with renewed energy as the Agency rolls out new strategies to grow enrolment and strengthen health insurance culture among youths and other residents. She thanked journalists, enrollees and partners for their support throughout the year and reaffirmed the Agency’s dedication to delivering accessible, affordable and quality healthcare under the leadership of Governor Sanwo-Olu.
