When we talk about community resilience, Lazuru community, a ward in Lere Local Government Area, Kaduna State, is a classic example. For years, the people of the Lazuru community lacked access to quality and reliable healthcare due to the poor state of the existing PHC structure. Access to laboratory services for diagnosis before the commencement of treatment was inadequate due to limited laboratory space until the implementation of the Strengthening Community Engagement and Accountability for Primary Healthcare (SCEAP) Project in 2023.
BudgIT held a meeting with the Ward Development Committee and management of Lazuru PHC to discuss the importance of a functional PHC facility. Our advocacy campaign involved a diverse group of community gatekeepers to discuss the challenges to service delivery at Lazuru PHCs and the role of community support in overcoming these challenges.
Inspired by the SCEAP enlightenment and community mobilisation by our SCEAP community-based organisation, Family Health Advancement in Nigeria Initiative (FHANI) and driven by the urgent need for diagnostic services, the Ward Development Committee (WDC) in Lazuru mobilised local resources and artisans to construct a laboratory using mud bricks, a traditional but durable method suited for rural settings to support the provision of laboratory services at the Lazuru PHC facility. The artisans within the Lazuru community offered their skills, community youths volunteered their time, and in a matter of weeks, what started as an idea took form near completion.
In 2024, the SCEAP team further supported Lazuru community members and stakeholders in addressing their healthcare needs through advocacy to the state government, highlighting the dire health situation in Lazuru.
In response to the advocacy effort, two Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Kaduna State, PHC Ung Jabba in Sabo Gari LGA and PHC Lazuru in Lere LGA, were selected for renovation and upgrading. This significant development was made possible through the support of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Kaduna State Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives committed to reconstructing the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Lazuru, and by the first half of 2025, the PHC building had been completely rebuilt.
We received the feedback and update from Benjamin Maigari, Executive Director of Family Health Advocates in Nigeria Initiative (FHANI), the community-based organisation (CBO) implementing the SCEAP project at Lazuru PHC, that the building reconstruction was completed in May 2025.
“We now have a conducive workplace. We appreciate the Speaker and SCEAP Team who advocated for us.” — Inrebe Magaji, In-charge, PHC Lazuru.
Fatima, a 25-year-old expectant mother who previously lost a child due to poor healthcare services, shared her relief: “I’m confident I’ll receive proper care at the PHC now. SCEAP has given me a real chance to carry this pregnancy safely.”
The story of PHC Lazuru is a compelling example of how sustained citizen advocacy, evidence-based engagement, and responsive governance can lead to meaningful development. Thanks to the intervention of the SCEAP project and the support of relevant stakeholders, the people of Lazuru now have access to critical healthcare services they long lacked.
