Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health received just ₦36 million out of the ₦218 billion approved for its 2025 capital projects, a shortfall he says severely crippled project implementation across the country.
Pate made the revelation on Monday during the 2026 budget defence before the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services.
“Out of the ₦218bn appropriated to the health sector by the parliament for the execution of capital projects in the 2025 fiscal year, only ₦36m was released,” he told lawmakers.
While noting that the personnel budget was fully released and utilised, the minister explained that the capital budget suffered due to cash flow constraints and systemic bottlenecks, particularly challenges linked to the bottom-up cash planning system managed by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
He also cited delays in providing Nigeria’s counterpart funding for donor-supported health programmes, which in turn limited access to certain external funds tied to those commitments.
According to Pate, the funding gap stalled numerous projects despite the ministry’s readiness to proceed, worsening delays in health infrastructure development, equipment procurement, and the completion of hospitals and laboratories nationwide.
The disclosure has raised fresh concerns about the practical impact of budgetary allocations on the health sector and the structural issues affecting capital expenditure releases.