₦218BN APPROPRIATED, ₦36M RELEASED: HEALTH MINISTER BREAKS SILENCE ON 2025 BUDGET SHORTFALL

Описание: Nigeria’s health financing realities took centre stage at the National Assembly as the Minister of Health, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, appeared before lawmakers to explain why the Ministry was unable to utilise its 2025 capital budget—despite an appropriation of ₦218 billion.

In this edition of News Today, we unpack a budget defence that laid bare the structural bottlenecks behind public sector spending. Prof. Pate disclosed that the Ministry received just ₦36 million of its capital allocation for 2025, a figure so small it effectively stalled project execution across the sector. While the Ministry’s personnel budget was fully released and expended, the capital component, he said, was crippled by factors beyond the Ministry’s control.

According to the Minister, the challenges stem largely from the bottom-up cash planning system operated by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, which determines when and how funds are released. He further revealed that delays in Nigeria’s counterpart funding obligations prevented the Ministry from accessing certain donor-supported funds, compounding the implementation crisis and freezing several planned interventions.

Prof. Pate reminded lawmakers that Nigeria’s health sector planning is anchored on long-term frameworks, including Vision 20:2020, the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025), and the National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP II). However, he stressed that without timely capital releases, even the most carefully designed policies struggle to translate into hospitals built, equipment procured, or services expanded.

Lawmakers were not entirely satisfied with explanations alone. Chairman of the House Committee on Healthcare Services, Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji, directed the Minister to submit comprehensive documentation on donor funds received by the Ministry, including detailed records of how such funds were utilised. The request signals intensified legislative oversight as the National Assembly seeks clearer accountability and better alignment between budget promises and health outcomes.

This budget defence raises a deeper question: Can Nigeria’s health sector deliver meaningful reform without fixing the systems that fund it? As discussions move toward the 2026 budget cycle, the answers may shape not just fiscal policy—but the quality of healthcare accessible to millions of Nigerians.


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