Magister Artium - MA / Comprehensive policies exist to tackle Nigeria’s poor maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) indices, but departures from policy intent during implementation result in less than expected outcomes. In Nigeria’s federal system of government, national level policies are transferred to subnational level, the states as mediators of for implementation. Executive powers at the state level reside with governors. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the role of states in policy implementation, taking a historical and comparative view of implementation of three complex programmes, which had intergovernmental collaborative aspirations. Study was set in two (subnational) states (Anambra and Ebonyi). In addition, national level data were collected from Abuja – Federal Capital Territory, where policymaking is domiciled. A qualitative case study design triangulated information from document reviews (69) and in-depth interviews (44). Emerson’s integrated collaborative governance (CG) framework was used to examine the overarching multi-level governance and how this impacted the policy process.