The Nigerian health sector: its challenge in terms of maternal and infant mortality. Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa with more than 160 million people. The male population is larger, with 85,898,305 men, or 50.87% of the population. of the total, compared to 82,935,471 or 49.12% women(1). Life expectancy is 53/55 for men and women respectively, with gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011 being 5.3%, while in the same year total health expenditure per capita was 139 dollars (2). With this strong population growth and increasing life expectancy, GDP is also expected to continually increase. Recurrent health expenditure in 2008 was 98 million Nigerian Naira (3). Nigerian Health System The government established the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) which was launched in 1999 to ensure that every Nigerian has access to good health care services (4). . With the aim of strengthening the health system, the National Health Policy (NHP) was adopted in 2006 to create a compelling health financing system capable of achieving the goals of improving the health status of Nigerians; financial protection of citizens against the cost of illness; equitable financing of health services; and responsiveness to citizens’ expectations. This plan includes the implementation of a redesigned National Health Insurance System (NHIS). However, since the implementation of the National Health Insurance System, only 5 million Nigerians can easily access care through the NHIS. Utilization of NHIS services is lower among low-income groups and young people, as programs that target these populations have not yet been introduced or fully integrated into the NHIS system. So, although it appears that coverage has largely expanded to the population, there are challenges...... middle of paper ......mes Nigeria. [cited April 28, 2014]. Available at: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/152371-2014-nigerian-government-must-improve-health-sector.html12. WHO Country Cooperation Strategy: Federal Republic of Nigeria 2002-2007. World13. Mooney GH. Health care equity: Confronting the confusion. Eff Health care. 1983 December;1(4):179-85.14. Poverty in Nigeria: rich country, poor people [Internet]. Poverties.org. [cited April 28, 2014]. Available at: http://www.poverties.org/poverty-in-nigeria.html15. Dussault G, Franceschini MC. Not enough there, too much here: understanding geographic imbalances in the distribution of health personnel. Hum Health Resource. 2006;4:12.16. Oxman AD, Fretheim A. Can paying for results help achieve the Millennium Development Goals? Overview of the effectiveness of results-based financing. J Med. 2009 May;2(2):70–83.