Nigerian Surgeon Launches 2025 ‘Burn Awareness Campaign’

Sunday Ehigiator

A aq, has officially launched the 2025 edition of her Annual Burn Awareness Campaign, a nationwide initiative designed to prevent burn injuries and provide life-changing support to survivors.

In its fifth year, the campaign, pioneered by Dr. Ehighibe, also a consultant and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jabi, has grown from a modest hospital outreach to a nationally recognised movement. It combines public education, free medical services, and survivor advocacy to address one of Nigeria’s most neglected public health crises.

Speaking at the launch, Ehighibe said the campaign was “about more than treatment. 

It’s about prevention, empathy, and empowerment. We are building a future where burn injuries are no longer silent tragedies.”

The 2025 edition expands its reach with new school safety partnerships covering over 50 schools in Abuja, Kaduna, Kogi, and Enugu States, where children and teachers will learn fire safety and first-aid skills.

It also introduces a mobile fire safety tour to rural communities, where awareness programmes and live fire drills will be delivered to thousands of households in local languages. A nationwide media and digital drive will run alongside, using radio and social media to dispel myths about burn care and promote immediate and lifesaving responses.

Another cornerstone of the campaign is access to free medical services. Pediatric patients from underprivileged backgrounds will receive consultations and corrective surgeries, while burn survivors struggling with stigma will be connected to peer support groups and psychosocial therapy.

Since its inception in 2020, the campaign has sought to move burn prevention beyond the walls of the hospital. By engaging schools, families, religious groups, and local media, it emphasises that most burns are preventable. “Many of the injuries we treat are entirely avoidable,”  Ehighibe explained, adding that: “A spilt kettle, a faulty gas cylinder, or an open flame too close to play areas; these are everyday risks we can reduce with awareness.

“The campaign has already transformed lives. Children who once dropped out of school due to visible scars have returned to classrooms after receiving free surgery. Adults injured in workplace accidents have regained their confidence and even begun training others in fire safety.

“One survivor summed up the impact: ‘Before the campaign, I hid my face for many years. After surgery and meeting other survivors, I now train others on fire safety. I got my life back, and a purpose too.”

This year’s campaign will culminate in National Burn Awareness Week in November, with a public symposium and survivor showcase scheduled to take place in Abuja.

For Ehighibe, the mission goes far beyond clinical care. “Imagine if fire extinguishers were as common in homes as mobile phones. Imagine if every child knew how to respond when someone is burned. That’s the world we want to build,” he added.