Bill Gates’ work shaped Nigeria’s health, inspired global leaders — Tinubu

Global philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, has been honoured with one of Nigeria’s highest national recognitions, the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), for his pivotal role in reshaping the country’s healthcare landscape and inspiring generations of global leadership through impactful philanthropy.

President Bola Tinubu, who conferred the honour during a ceremony held in Lagos on Tuesday, said Gates’s legacy in Nigeria is defined not just by generosity but by results, in lower child mortality rates, polio eradication, and wider access to life-saving vaccines.

“All I need to say is thank you, Bill Gates, for your indivisible commitment to humanity,” Tinubu said.

“It is highly remarkable and an inspiration to leaders across the world, including the one standing before you.”

President Tinubu acknowledged Gates’s long-term support through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, particularly in strengthening maternal health systems, advancing agricultural reforms, and combating infectious diseases.

He said these interventions have helped transform some of the most vulnerable communities in Nigeria.

In his tribute, Minister of Health and Social Development, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, described the honour as well-earned.

He noted that Gates, in collaboration with business magnate Alhaji Aliko Dangote, helped overcome cultural barriers to immunisation in Northern Nigeria and drove the nationwide campaign that led to the eradication of polio.

“From that time until now, the Gates Foundation and its partners have invested over \$2 billion in Nigeria,” Pate said.

“These funds have strengthened health care delivery, agriculture, and the digital economy, all with real, measurable impact.”

Accepting the honour, Bill Gates said the CFR award symbolises the shared progress achieved by Nigerian institutions and the Foundation over the last 25 years.

He particularly lauded Nigeria’s leadership for its commitment to public health, adding that partnerships with Tinubu, Pate, and Dangote have helped the country record milestones in disease prevention.

“We’ve made significant progress, especially in vaccine coverage and polio eradication, thanks to strong collaboration,” Gates said.

He highlighted the Foundation’s nationwide rollout of the HPV vaccine, aimed at curbing cervical cancer, which claims over 7,000 Nigerian women annually. Gates commended Nigeria for recording the highest uptake of the vaccine among girls aged 9–14 compared to any other country.

Gates reaffirmed his commitment to Nigeria, outlining the Foundation’s plans to eliminate malaria within two decades and aggressively tackle malnutrition, especially among children.

“Some of our goals may seem ambitious,” he said. “But I’m committed to investing all my wealth in this mission over the next 20 years.”

Other dignitaries present at the event included Alhaji Dangote, Hon. Zephaniah Jisalo, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, senior officials of the Gates Foundation, and Dr. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.