Enugu, Nigeria – February 24, 2026 — The Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, commissioned the South-East Zonal Office of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN) in Enugu, describing it as a landmark step in advancing professional standards, patient safety, and quality healthcare under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his address at the event, Dr. Salako expressed deep responsibility in inaugurating the facility, which he said strengthens the shared commitment to elevate radiography practice and patient care nationwide. He commended the RRBN leadership, particularly Registrar Prof. Mark Chukwudi Okeji, who is nearing the end of his tenure for delivering the project, announcing that funding for finishing touches and furnishing is included in the 2026 federal budget proposal, with expectations of swift National Assembly approval for rapid operationalization.
The Minister highlighted the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s commitment, aligned with the first pillar of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, to support regulatory bodies in regulating standards, enforcing compliance, and curbing quackery. He noted that without proper oversight, quackery flourishes, standards decline, patients suffer, and health outcomes worsen.
Dr. Salako recalled that upon assuming office in May 2023, President Tinubu reversed a prior decision, restoring budgetary funding to health regulatory bodies like the RRBN a preferential treatment not extended to peers in other sectors — in recognition of their critical role. He also mentioned his own priority visits to regulatory bodies, including the RRBN, shortly after taking office in October 2024, to underscore the government’s strategic support for quality healthcare delivery.
Urging reciprocity, the Minister charged the RRBN to rededicate itself by:
- Ensuring professionals adhere to approved scopes of practice
- Maintaining the highest ethical standards and prioritizing patient welfare
- Intensifying efforts against quackery, malpractices, negligence, and infractions, with government promising appropriate sanctions
- Expanding licensing to cover all practicing radiographers
- Enforcing radiation safety protocols to protect patients and staff
- Deepening digital platforms for accessible regulatory services, especially in underserved areas
- Promoting capacity building through accredited continuing professional development (CPD) programs to keep practitioners current
He emphasized that a well-regulated, skilled workforce delivers accurate diagnoses, safer procedures, and better outcomes, building public trust in radiography’s role in modern healthcare via X-ray, MRI, CT, and ultrasound.
The new zonal office, Dr. Salako said, will improve access to registration, licensing, compliance monitoring, and CPD for radiographers in the South-East and neighboring regions.
The Minister thanked the Enugu State Government and people for their cooperation, praising Governor Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s transformative health sector reforms in personnel recruitment, infrastructure, and technology. He reaffirmed federal collaboration to ensure Enugu residents access quality preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative services without financial hardship.
Acknowledging Nigeria’s dedicated radiographers as the backbone of diagnostic imaging and life-saving care, Dr. Salako urged them to pursue continuous self-development in line with global trends.
In closing, he reaffirmed the commitment to a Nigeria where every patient receives safe, timely, high-quality radiography services, calling the occasion a symbol of unity among government, regulators, institutions, and communities. “May this zonal office be a catalyst for professional excellence, better health outcomes, and national prosperity,” he declared. “And so with peace and plenty, Nigeria shall be blessed.”
The RRBN continues its mandate to regulate radiography practice, promote excellence, ensure patient safety, and support ethical professional conduct across Nigeria.
For more details on registration, licensing, zonal offices, or CPD, visit the official RRBN portal rrbn.gov.ng.
This commissioning reinforces ongoing efforts to strengthen health regulation and deliver on national healthcare priorities.
