The Federal Ministry of Health received just N36 million out of the N218 billion appropriated for its 2025 capital expenditure, the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, has revealed.
Gatekeepers News report that Pate disclosed this on Monday while defending the Ministry’s 2026 budget proposal before the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services.
He said the paltry release made it virtually impossible for the Ministry to execute its capital projects for the year.
According to the minister, while the entire personnel allocation for 2025 was released and fully utilised, the capital component suffered severe funding constraints.
He attributed the shortfall largely to the bottom-up cash planning system operated by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, as well as delays in the release of Nigeria’s counterpart contributions, which prevented access to some donor-supported and counterpart-funded projects.
“The implementation of the 2025 capital budget was stalled by circumstances beyond the Ministry’s control,” he told lawmakers.
Pate explained that the Ministry’s planning is guided by key national frameworks, including Vision 20:2020, the Medium-Term National Development Plan (NDP) 2021–2025, and the National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP) II, all aligned with the National Health Act and the 2016 National Health Policy.
He said Universal Health Coverage remains central to the Ministry’s mandate, particularly in strengthening Primary Health Care to ensure equitable and affordable healthcare for Nigerians.
On the 2026 budget proposal, the minister said it was prepared in line with the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), and processed through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) to ensure a needs-based allocation of resources.
He added that the proposal aligns with the National Development Plan, the policy priorities of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Ministry’s strategic blueprint for improving health outcomes.
Pate further noted that the 2016 National Health Policy, themed “Promoting the Health of Nigerians to Accelerate Socio-economic Development,” remains the foundation for the Ministry’s programmes and supports the 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 provide the Committee with detailed documentation on donor funds received by the Ministry and how such funds were utilised.
