The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Mohammed Pate, has attributed the poor implementation of the ministry’s 2025 capital budget to inadequate cash releases, revealing that only ₦36 million was received out of the ₦218 billion appropriated for the year.
Mr Pate disclosed this on Monday during the defence of the Ministry’s 2026 budget before the House of Representatives.
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He told lawmakers that although the personnel budget was fully released and utilised, the capital component suffered major setbacks due to the bottom-up cash planning system operated by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
He added that delays in the release of Nigeria’s counterpart funding also prevented the ministry from accessing some donor-supported funds, further stalling the execution of capital projects in 2025.
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The minister explained that the health sector operates within the framework of Vision 20:2020, the Medium-Term National Development Plan (NDP) 2021–2025 and the National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP) II.
He said the constitution and the National Health Act mandate the government to guarantee the right to health for all Nigerians, with the 2016 National Health Policy providing the implementation framework.
According to him, “The principles of Universal Health Coverage are central to the National Health Policy objective of strengthening Nigeria’s health system, particularly the Primary Health Care subsystem, to deliver quality, effective, efficient, equitable, accessible, affordable, acceptable and comprehensive health services to all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Pate said the 2026 budget proposal is derived from the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper and was prepared using the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
He noted that the proposal aligns with the National Development Plan, the policy priorities of the federal government and the health-sector deliverables of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
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He added that the proposal is anchored on the 2016 National Health Policy and the ministry’s Strategic Blueprint Initiatives, which are aimed at advancing Universal Health Coverage and accelerating the implementation of the National Health Act.
In his response, the Chairman of the House Committee on Healthcare Services, Amos Magaji (APC, Kaduna), asked the minister to submit detailed records of donor funds received by the ministry and how they were utilised.
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