By Muhammad Amaan with agency report
Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of the Health Sector Reform Coalition Nigeria, have called on the Federal Government to allocate at least ten percent of the national budget to health and ensure the full release of funds already approved for the sector.
The coalition made the demand in Abuja during a press briefing, following revelations by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, that only N36 million out of the N218 billion capital allocation approved for 2025 was released to the ministry.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, the chairman, Dr Mohammed Lecky, described the figure as one of the most alarming failures in recent health governance history of the nation and called for a legislative investigation into the 2025 releases, as well as public hearings to prevent a recurrence.
He warned that the near-total non-release of funds has stalled hospital upgrades, delayed procurement of equipment, weakened supply chains and crippled digital health investments, leaving frontline workers to operate in increasingly fragile environments.
“Data available from the Budget Office Reports of Implementation shows that only 32.20%, 17.30%, 35.79% and 40.69% of the health capital allocation were utilized for the years 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021. This is a four-year average of 31.49% implementation of the capital vote. This past year, 2025 is clearly the worst in capital fund releases to the Federal Ministry of Health,” he said.
Dr Lecky said the situation threatens the drive toward universal health coverage and undermines the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, stressing that budget approvals without corresponding cash backing make long-term planning impossible.
He further said that under the proposed 2026 federal budget of N58.47 trillion, only about N2.9 trillion, roughly 4.98 percent, has been earmarked for health, far below continental commitments and Nigeria’s own policy benchmark of not less than six percent.
“This leaves a funding gap of about N5.9 trillion when measured against Africa’s health financing commitments,” he said, noting that the allocation must cover the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare alongside 148 agencies and institutions under it.
The coalition also raised concerns over what it described as “opaque bulk capital votes” in the 2026 proposal, warning that poorly detailed projects worth over N32 billion could encourage mismanagement and further delay fund releases.
They called for all such votes to be broken down into clearly defined projects with specified locations and costs, while urging that health-sector funds be treated as first-line charges to guarantee timely disbursement.
In addition, the groups urged government to earmark at least 50 percent of proceeds from the “sin taxes” on alcohol, tobacco and sugary products for healthcare, noting that while such revenues run into hundreds of billions of naira annually, they are not adequately reflected in health budgets.
The coalition also expressed concern over declining donor support for programmes on immunisation, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, warning that heavy reliance on external funding exposes the health system to serious shocks.
The groups further urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to prioritise domestic health financing, strengthen oversight, and institutionalise transparency in budgeting and releases.
They maintained that without decisive reforms, health system would remain vulnerable, stressing that sustained investment is essential not only for service delivery but also for national productivity and security.
Meanwhile, Programme Delivery Lead of the Africa Health Project Network, Amina Haledu-Muhammad, alleged that N168 billion for immunisation, N6 billion for family planning and N80 million for adolescent health remain unreleased, warning that continued delays could reverse gains in primary healthcare.
Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer of the Afrihealth Optonet Association, Uzodinma Adirieje, described the 0.016 percent release rate of 2025 capital health funds as a “disaster,” cautioning that it could compromise vaccine safety and erode donor confidence.
On his part, President Emeritus of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health, Oladapo Ladipo, said Nigeria has consistently failed to prioritise health and education as drivers of development.
He proposed quarterly budget-tracking meetings involving the media and civil society to detect underfunding early and improve accountability.
