Sokoto State’s fight against tuberculosis is being shaped not only by medical interventions but by the lived experiences of survivors. In this report, John Asishana examined the journeys of survivors from illness to recovery highlighting both the persistent challenges and growing progress in Nigeria’s battle against the disease.
Fatima Bello still remembers the fear in her children’s eyes when she could no longer hide how sick she was. The 32-year-old mother of three from a farming village in Sokoto North Local Government Area had dismissed her persistent cough as ordinary malaria. Night sweats soaked her wrapper, she lost weight rapidly, and simple tasks left her gasping for breath.
“My husband believed it was a spiritual attack,” Fatima recalled softly during an interview at the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto. “We wasted months on herbs before I reached the hospital. By then, I could barely breathe. The diagnosis was pulmonary tuberculosis and early HIV co-infection.”
On the 24th March, Nigeria observed the World Tuberculosis Day 2026 under the global theme “Yes! We can end TB!” – a bold call for leadership, investment, and people-powered action as Sokoto State continues to confront its share of the country’s estimated 510,000 tuberculosis cases recorded in 2025.
In the northwest’s rural communities, overcrowding, widespread malnutrition, and delayed diagnosis keep the disease circulating silently. Yet stories like Fatima’s are rewriting the narrative from despair to determination.
Fatima tested positive during a community outreach in late 2025. The first weeks on medication were brutal – with constant vomiting and weakness – but the nurses’ encouragement kept her going. After six months of treatment, she returned home stronger and transformed.
“Today, I tell every woman in my village: ‘Don’t hide the cough. Tuberculosis is not a death sentence,’” she said with quiet conviction.
Fatima has since become a volunteer peer educator, helping trace contacts in communities where stigma once silenced families and allowed the disease to spread unchecked.
A herder’s long road to recovery
Musa Garba, a 58-year-old cattle herder from Tambuwal, faced an even steeper battle. He began coughing blood and grew so weak he could no longer walk to the market. His children whispered that he might follow the same path as his late brother.
“Initially, the ordinary drugs failed,” Garba recounted. “Doctors discovered I had drug-resistant tuberculosis. The new, stricter regimen lasted eight long months at the state tuberculosis centre. I lost income from my farm, and my family suffered greatly.”
Yet he emerged cured, crediting both medical intervention and faith. “The doctors saved my life. The free drugs from the government programme worked. Now I thank God every day and advise others not to wait.”
Frontline doctors see progress amid persistent challenges
Dr Amina Shehu, a senior chest physician at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, has treated hundreds of patients and witnessed both heartbreak and hope.
“In the past year, we’ve seen a worrying rise in childhood tuberculosis, often linked to severe malnutrition,” she explained.
“Parents bring children who are already critically ill because symptoms are mistaken for other common illnesses. But tools like GeneXpert machines and stool testing for young children, introduced in recent years, are helping us catch cases earlier.”
Shehu pointed to systemic hurdles familiar across Sokoto’s vast rural expanse: long distances, poverty, and treatment default. “Many patients start strong but struggle to complete therapy. Still, our success rate has improved as over 85 per cent of those who stay on the course complete treatment successfully. HIV-TB co-infections remain a challenge, but integrating the two services is making a real difference.”
She praised recent donations of Truenat diagnostic tools by the National Tuberculosis Programme, which have reduced result times from days to hours, allowing faster treatment initiation in peripheral facilities.
At Holy Family Clinic, Dr Yakubu Mohammed shared a particularly moving case: a 38-year-old woman who arrived near death with advanced HIV and active tuberculosis.
“With proper medication, nutritional support, and dedicated care, she recovered fully and later delivered a healthy baby. Moments like that remind us exactly why we fight every single day.”
A community awakening
Health authorities in Sokoto State report that community sensitisation campaigns and mobile clinics are gradually closing the detection gap. Free tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment remain available across government facilities under the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme.
Officials urge residents to seek testing at the first sign of a cough lasting more than two weeks, accompanied by fever, night sweats, or unexplained weight loss.
Fatima Bello’s final words capture the spirit of this year’s World TB Day theme, “I was almost gone, but TB taught me to speak out. If I can survive, anyone can, with God, good doctors, and the courage to seek help.”
As Sokoto and the rest of Nigeria push toward ending tuberculosis, these personal stories of survival underscore a powerful truth: the disease may be ancient and stubborn, but human resilience, supported by better tools, integrated care, and community voices, is proving strong.
