By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos State Government has launched a blood donation campaign targeting 10 local government areas as part of efforts to promote voluntary blood donation and ensure adequate supply of safe blood for residents.
The campaign, coordinated by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), commenced on Monday, 24 August, 2026, with an advocacy walk and one-on-one sensitisation at Jubilee Bridge and Jubilee Market in Ajah, Eti-Osa Local Government Area.
The Executive Secretary of LSBTS, Dr Bodunrin Osikomaiya, said the Eti-Osa exercise was the first of 10 advocacy and sensitisation programmes planned across the state’s 20 local government areas.
She said the initiative was aimed at encouraging residents to make voluntary blood donation a regular practice while providing opportunities to donate through a blood mobile stationed at the venue and designated government hospitals.
The campaign, according to the state government, will extend to Ojo, Ibeju-Lekki, Badagry, Epe and Lagos Island, among other local governments with the objective of ensuring that safe blood is readily available when needed.
The government said the programme was supported with the necessary funds, personnel and logistics to strengthen Lagos’ blood supply system, stressing that access to safe blood remained a priority.
At the Maternal and Child Centre (MCC), Eti-Osa, Osikomaiya presented blood bags, gloves, sample bottles, donor forms, information materials and voluntary blood donation cards to support the facility’s blood collection efforts.
She explained that donors issued voluntary blood donation cards would be entitled to receive blood without out-of-pocket payment.
The Medical Director of MCC Eti-Osa, Dr Olufemi Aletan, said the facility’s partnership with LSBTS had underscored the importance of adequate blood supplies, particularly in emergencies involving pregnant women and patients with severe bleeding.
Aletan recalled instances when the centre required fresh frozen plasma for patients, noting that timely access to blood could determine whether a patient survived.
He disclosed that the centre was working towards establishing an independent blood bank and commended LSBTS for its support.
The medical director urged more residents, particularly husbands of pregnant women, to donate blood regularly, assuring that the hospital would continue to strengthen its transfusion capacity to support safe antenatal care and deliveries.
Sharing his experience, 13-time donor Olawale Alaba said blood donation was a simple act that should not be restricted to emergencies involving relatives or friends.
He urged eligible residents to donate every three months, describing regular blood donation as an act capable of making a significant difference to people in urgent need.
Another donor, Taiwo Abifarin, who had donated twice, said he donated because he believed it was a way of saving lives and giving back to society.
First-time donors Abdullahi Mohammed, Rabiu Abiodun and Gbadamosi Sulaiman also urged residents to overcome their fears and embrace voluntary blood donation.
Sulaiman described blood donation as a civic responsibility, recalling that his child had previously required blood.
The state government said the campaign would continue across selected local government areas as part of efforts to strengthen voluntary blood donation and ensure a reliable supply of safe blood across Lagos.
