What if Your Nearest Clinic Was Two Hours Away by Boat?

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In parts of Nigeria, some communities can only access a health facility by canoe. Others are tucked deep within riverine terrain, far from the gaze of national statistics. And yet, these are often the places where healthcare is most urgently needed. That’s the problem: most national data systems aren’t built to see them. In many parts of Nigeria (and Africa), the data we rely on to make decisions about public health is incomplete, not because it’s wrong, but because it’s too general.

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When Data Misses the Mark, Lives Are at Risk

Household-level surveys, for example, often capture just one person’s experience to represent an entire home. But as Equality Insights’ Under One Roof research reveals, what’s true for one person in a household may be drastically different for others; especially across gender, age, and ability. One woman may skip clinic visits because of safety concerns, whereas her brother might go for treatment without hesitation. Neither story is captured when only the “head of the household” speaks.  

This kind of statistical oversimplification becomes even more dangerous in remote, under-resourced areas where clinics are few, roads are unreliable, and some communities can only be reached by canoe. These places are most likely to vanish from national averages where figures are often skewed toward urban centres, yet they’re the ones facing the greatest healthcare challenges.  

Orodata Science, a civic tech and data storytelling lab based in Nigeria, is working to change that. They're on a mission to make data more inclusive, local, and useful - not just for policy briefs, but for the people the numbers are about. It’s a vision we share at Africa Data Hub: data that doesn’t just sit on dashboards, but drives real change where it’s needed the most.  

Whether they’re tracking elections, monitoring public budgets, or exposing gaps in essential services, Orodata believes data should reflect lived realities of all residents in a way that not only exposes the challenges but enables innovative solutions from within the communities.  

And their most urgent, ambitious project yet?  

CheckMyPHC. A tool powered by Africa Data Hub, that is bringing transparency to over 340 primary health clinics across Nigeria, including the ones you’d need a canoe to reach.  

Because data shouldn’t stop where the road ends.  

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How a Boat Ride Sparked a Nationwide Health Data Movement

CheckMyPHC didn’t start in a boardroom. It started with a chilling story shared during one of Orodata’s investigative journalism fellowships. While visiting a remote community only accessible by boat, a fellow heard from the boat operator that many pregnant women had died on that route. Why? The nearest health facility was two hours away, and there was no functional clinic in the community itself. Women in labour often didn’t survive the journey.

That moment stuck. The fellow investigated further and published a powerful report. The government responded by providing tricycles for transport, but the deeper issue remained: people were forced to travel long distances for basic care that should exist in their own communities.  

Orodata realised the bigger issue that transparency tools couldn’t just reflect what’s visible from the centre, they had to reach the places where official data often doesn’t go. The real need is to bring visibility to people living on the margins of public health planning.

That was the seed of CheckMyPHC: not just a digital tool, but a three-part initiative combining frontline data collection, investigative journalism, and a public-facing dashboard. Its purpose is to document which facilities are under-resourced and amplify the voices of those excluded from national statistics, particularly across lines of gender, disability, and income, as explored in the Under One Roof report.  

Today, CheckMyPHC captures real-time conditions at over 345 facilities across six Nigerian states, reporting on everything from whether a nurse is on duty, to whether the clinic has a working toilet, electricity, running water, or even a roof. The goal? To help communities trace the flow of funds, hold decision-makers accountable, and better understand their rights to quality healthcare.  

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What Orodata Found in Nigeria’s Hidden Clinics

We spoke with Orodata’s team: John Aitokhuehi (Country Operations Lead), Hannah Naiyeju (Data Researcher & Analyst), and Nnenna Rosemary (Social Media Strategist), about what the data is revealing and why it matters.  

“We’ve all heard the phrase ‘hard to reach’, but seeing it firsthand is different,”

said John. In some communities, residents cross chest-deep rivers to reach care. Roads are often impassable. Insecurity adds further risk.

Electricity is another invisible barrier. In Anambra, over 90% of clinics had no stable water, affecting everything from vaccine storage to staff morale. One community’s trip to a clinic cost more than $100 by boat, an impossible fee for most families.  

From Visibility to Impact

CheckMyPHC is already making waves:

• 345+ clinics tracked across six states with geotagged, verified data.

• 38+ journalist stories published, elevating invisible health gaps.

• New interest from other states like Kwara and Sokoto to join future phases.

• Unexpected wins - from a TikTok influencer adopting a clinic, new investments in solar power, and award-winning journalists.  

And at every turn, communities are becoming more informed, engaged, and vocal.

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How Orodata Keeps Its Data Real, Local, and Safe

The Orodata team ensures accuracy through:  

• Structured responses (yes/no/rating) to reduce interpretation bias.

• GPS verification to confirm every location.

• Real-time backend reviews that flag issues immediately.

• Offline syncing, privacy protections, and training for data collectors; many of whom are journalists.  

It’s tech plus trust, designed to reflect lived realities.  

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Data Without a Map? Why Every Story Needs a Place

“No data story should go without a place,”

said Nnenna.

Geo-referencing turns abstract data into anchored narratives. It tells readers where the issue lives, helps decision-makers see the disparity, and gives local advocacy a clearer target.  

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Journalists: The Data is Here, Use it!

You don’t have to do it all alone. Telling the full story, especially when it comes to health access in hard-to-reach or underserved areas, can be daunting… these are high-stake stories where accuracy is non-negotiable. But the good news is you’re not starting from scratch. Civic tech organisations like Orodata Science, with support from Africa Data Hub, are already gathering reliable baseline data from places that are often inaccessible or unsafe.  

Tools like CheckMyPHC make it easier to tell powerful, place-based stories. So whether you’re an editor, activist, or reporter - this is your moment. Use the data. Build on it. Make it matter.  

Orodata Science is one of Africa Data Hub’s partners, and the CheckMyPHC tool along with the data journalism and fieldwork behind it is built in collaboration with Africa Data Hub. This work is made possible with support from The Gates Foundation, whose funding helps ensure data remains accessible, inclusive, and a driver of real-world impact across Africa.

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Explore the CheckMyPHC platform.
Follow Orodata Science for more updates and data tools.

See CheckMyPHC in action. Discover how journalists are using its data to tell powerful stories in the news.