Why We Did Not Utilise Our 2025 Capital Budget, Says Health Minister

The Minister of Health, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, on Monday explained that the Ministry was unable to utilise its 2025 capital budget, having received only ₦36 million out of the ₦218 billion appropriated for the year.

Prof. Pate made the disclosure during a 2026 budget defence session with the House Committee on Healthcare Services. He stated that while the Ministry’s entire personnel budget was released and fully expended, the same could not be said of the capital component due largely to the bottom-up cash planning system operated by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

He further informed lawmakers that the Ministry was unable to access certain counterpart funds because of delays in the release of Nigeria’s counterpart contributions, adding that implementation of the 2025 capital budget was consequently stalled by unforeseen circumstances.

According to the Minister, Nigeria’s health sector is guided by Vision 20:2020, the Medium-Term National Development Plan (NDP) 2021–2025, and the National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP) II.

He said the overarching goal of the Nigerian Constitution and the National Health Act (NHAct) is to guarantee the right to health for all Nigerians, noting that the 2016 National Health Policy provides the implementation framework for translating the provisions of the National Health Act and the Sustainable Development Goals into improved health outcomes and wellbeing for citizens.

“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.

Prof. Pate disclosed that the policies and strategies underpinning the 2026 budget are derived from the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), which outlines the Federal Government’s development priorities.

He 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 Ahmed Tinubu.

The Minister noted that the 2026 budget proposal is anchored on the 2016 National Health Policy and guided by the Federal Ministry of Health’s Strategic Blueprint Initiatives, which serve as key policy instruments for achieving ministerial deliverables and advancing the global agenda of Universal Health Coverage.

He added that the National Health Policy 2016, themed “Promoting the Health of Nigerians to Accelerate Socio-economic Development,” provides the foundation for the National Strategic Health Development Plan II and supports accelerated implementation of the National Health Act, 2014.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on Healthcare Services, Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji, directed the Minister to furnish the Committee with all relevant documents relating to donor funds received by the Ministry and details of how such funds were utilised.