Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor l Journalist at Weng Global
Optimus Bank has launched a blood donation drive in Lagos as part of efforts to support critical healthcare needs and raise awareness about the importance of regular voluntary blood donation in Nigeria.
The initiative, organised under the bank’s corporate social responsibility platform, Impact Starts With Us, is themed “GIVE BLOOD. GIVE LIFE.” It brought together employees, stakeholders and members of the community to contribute blood for patients who may require transfusions during emergencies and medical treatment.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of a substantial gap between Nigeria’s demand for blood and the volume collected annually. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigeria requires an estimated 1.8 million to 2 million units of blood each year, while official figures from the National Blood Service Commission show that 371,827 units were collected in 2024.
Blood shortage remains a healthcare challenge
Blood transfusion is an essential component of healthcare, particularly for patients undergoing surgery, women experiencing complications during childbirth, accident and trauma victims, children with severe anaemia, people living with sickle cell disorder and patients receiving treatment for conditions that require repeated transfusions.
The WHO has identified the need for stronger national blood systems and regular voluntary donations as part of efforts to ensure reliable access to safe blood.
Nigeria’s supply gap means that blood availability can remain a significant challenge for health facilities, particularly when demand rises during emergencies.
The WHO estimates that postpartum haemorrhage accounts for approximately 23 to 30 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria, further highlighting the importance of timely access to blood and blood products during obstetric emergencies.
Optimus Bank initiative
Optimus Bank said the blood drive reflects its view that its responsibilities extend beyond providing financial services and include contributing to the wellbeing of communities.
The bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ademola Odeyemi, said the initiative was intended to encourage Nigerians to make voluntary blood donation part of their contribution to their communities.
“At Optimus Bank, we believe our responsibility goes beyond banking,” Odeyemi said, according to a statement from the bank. “The strength of any economy is connected to the wellbeing of its people, and we are committed to using our platform to create meaningful impact in the communities we serve.”
He added that the campaign was designed to encourage people to donate blood and contribute to efforts that could help patients in need.
For Optimus Bank, the initiative forms part of its wider Impact Starts With Us programme, which the bank says supports areas including healthcare, education, empowerment and environmental sustainability.
Medical support for the blood drive
The donation exercise was conducted with technical support from the Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
The involvement of a specialist hospital department was aimed at ensuring that the collection process followed appropriate medical and safety procedures.
Prof Titilope Adeyemo, Head of the Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion at LUTH, emphasised the importance of regular voluntary donation in maintaining blood availability for patients.
According to Adeyemo, a safe and reliable blood supply is important for emergencies, childbirth, surgery and patients who require ongoing transfusion support.
The emphasis on regular voluntary donation is consistent with the broader public-health approach advocated by the WHO, which encourages countries to develop reliable blood systems supported by regular, voluntary and unpaid donors.
Corporate responsibility beyond banking
The blood drive is the latest healthcare-focused initiative associated with Optimus Bank’s broader corporate social responsibility activities.
The bank has also undertaken community-focused environmental initiatives in Lagos. In September 2026, it mobilised employees, volunteers and community stakeholders for a beach clean-up exercise in Lekki as part of activities marking World Cleanup Day.
The bank’s current blood donation campaign similarly places its employees and wider community network in a position to participate directly in a public-interest initiative.
For the healthcare sector, however, individual blood drives represent only one part of the wider challenge. Nigeria’s blood requirements are substantially larger than the amount currently collected, making sustained voluntary donation and effective collection and distribution systems important to long-term supply.
The WHO’s latest country information puts the scale of the challenge in perspective: while Nigeria needs an estimated 1.8 million to 2 million units annually, 371,827 units were collected in 2024.
Why the initiative matters
Blood cannot simply be manufactured when an emergency occurs. Hospitals therefore depend on donations and functioning blood-transfusion systems to maintain supplies for patients whose treatment depends on timely transfusion.
This makes voluntary blood donation relevant to several areas of healthcare, from emergency medicine and surgery to maternal health and the treatment of chronic conditions.
For women experiencing severe bleeding during childbirth, for example, delays in obtaining blood can complicate an already life-threatening emergency. The WHO identifies postpartum haemorrhage as a major contributor to maternal mortality in Nigeria.
The same need applies to people injured in road crashes or other accidents, patients undergoing major surgery and people with illnesses that can require regular transfusions.
Against this background, initiatives that encourage people to become regular voluntary donors can contribute to improving awareness and increasing the pool of available donors.
Building a culture of voluntary donation
One of the central objectives of the Optimus Bank campaign is not only to collect blood during the immediate exercise but also to encourage a longer-term culture of voluntary donation.
That distinction is important because Nigeria’s blood-supply challenge cannot be addressed through occasional emergency appeals alone.
A sustained donor base can help health authorities and medical facilities plan collection and maintain supplies more consistently.
The WHO recommends that countries strengthen national blood systems and work towards sufficient voluntary blood collection to meet clinical needs.
For corporate organisations, blood drives also provide an opportunity to use existing employee and community networks to support public-health campaigns.
The wider Nigerian healthcare context
Nigeria continues to face pressure across several areas of healthcare, including access to emergency treatment, maternal healthcare and essential medical services.
Blood availability is closely connected to each of these areas because transfusion can be required when patients experience severe blood loss or have conditions that affect their blood levels.
The figures from the WHO and National Blood Service Commission demonstrate the scale of the national supply gap. The estimated annual requirement of up to 2 million units is significantly higher than the 371,827 units collected in 2024.
Closing that gap will require more than individual campaigns. It will depend on sustained public participation, effective blood-collection systems, appropriate screening and storage, efficient distribution and continued investment in national blood services.
Optimus Bank’s initiative therefore sits within a much broader national healthcare challenge.
What happens next
Optimus Bank said its blood drive is part of its continuing Impact Starts With Us commitment to community development.
The bank is also expected to continue supporting initiatives across healthcare, education, economic empowerment, environmental sustainability and other areas of community development.
For Nigeria’s blood supply, the longer-term challenge remains increasing regular voluntary donations and strengthening the systems required to make safe blood available when patients need it.
The immediate message behind the Optimus Bank campaign is straightforward: voluntary blood donation can provide an important resource for hospitals and patients, while sustained participation is necessary to help address Nigeria’s wider blood-supply needs.
As the country’s healthcare system continues to confront the gap between blood demand and collection, campaigns that encourage regular voluntary donation can help keep the issue visible and encourage more Nigerians to participate.
Weng Global – Stories beyond borders
Sources
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa — Strengthening access to safe blood saves lives in Nigeria.
- Punch Newspapers — Optimus Bank launches blood drive to support healthcare, September 28, 2026.
- Punch Newspapers — Optimus Bank tackles plastic pollution with Lagos cleanup, September 22, 2026.
