We Got Only N36m From Our N218bn Capital Budget In 2025 — Health Minister

The Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Mohammed Pate, has said that his ministry received only N36 million out of the N218 billion capital budget appropriated for it in the 2025 financial year.

Pate, who disclosed this during the 2026 budget defence session with the House Committee on Healthcare Services on Monday, said the development hindered the ministry from utilising its 2025 capital budget.

He said the poor release of the capital component of the ministry’s 2025 budget was due to the bottom-up cash planning system operated by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Pate told lawmakers that the ministry was unable to access certain counterpart funds because of delays in the release of Nigeria’s counterpart contributions.

“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 stated.

Pate explained that the Ministry’s 2026 proposed budget was prepared using the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), in line with the National Development Plan 2021–2025, which emphasises justification and allocation of resources to projects and programmes based on actual needs.

He added that the proposal aligns with the policy thrust and execution priorities of the Federal Government as well as the ministerial deliverables of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Highlights of the budget proposals laid before the National Assembly by President Tinubu late last year showed that the health sector is allocated N2.48 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year.

The committee’s chairman, Hon. Amos Magaji, directed the minister to furnish the panel with all relevant documents relating to donor funds received by the ministry and details of their utilisation.