Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that funds allocated to Nigeria’s health sector in the 2025 Budget must not suffer the same fate as past public funds allegedly swallowed by animals such as snakes, termites, gorillas, and monkeys.
The Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has earmarked $1.07 billion for the primary healthcare sector, in addition to ₦2.48 trillion initially proposed for healthcare in the 2025 Budget.
Naija News recalls that in recent years, reports of missing government funds blamed on bizarre circumstances have surfaced, with little to no investigations or accountability.
In a statement he personally signed released on Sunday, Atiku stressed that with dwindling national resources and the withdrawal of foreign support for key healthcare services, every kobo allocated to the health sector must be properly utilized.
The former Vice President criticized the lack of transparency in the government’s plans for spending these funds.
He said: “We have read that the Federal Government has a plan to expend a whopping sum of $1.07 billion in the primary health sector. This amount is in addition to the N2.48 trillion, which had earlier been proposed for the health sector in the initial draft of the budget.”
Atiku, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, expressed concern over the sources of the additional $1.07 billion, revealing that it was mainly sourced through foreign loans, with a portion provided by an international donor agency.
He insisted that Nigerians have a right to know the details of these loans, how they will be repaid, and how the funds will be effectively spent.
“In other words, Nigeria is expected to pay these loans back, and it is required that the Nigerian people know the details of these loans and that its expenditure must be conveyed in a policy envelope that will explain how it will be spent,” he said.
Atiku criticized the Federal Government’s failure to commit to physical infrastructure development in its health budget, describing it as suspicious.
According to the government’s official statement, the funds will be used to enhance governance in healthcare and strengthen primary healthcare services. This includes the recruitment, training, and retention of healthcare workers and teachers at the sub-national level.
However, Atiku challenged this justification, arguing that without clear accountability mechanisms, the budget could be mismanaged.
He said: “For an administration that has been known to have a deficiency of trust in the administration of its humanitarian services, Nigerians cannot take the risk of accepting a shoddy explanation on a budgetary provision that lacks a mechanism of tracking how the money is to be expended.”
Thr opposition leader further accused the government of misleading Nigerians regarding the condition of the country’s tertiary hospitals, stating that despite claims of improvement, these facilities lack basic amenities, including a steady power supply.
Atiku criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, arguing that it has failed in the health sector due to poor funding and lack of transparency.
He pointed out that malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS remain major health challenges in Nigeria’s primary healthcare sector. He questioned how the intervention fund would be used to address these issues.
“If President Tinubu’s administration meant well in its claim to prioritize the health of Nigerians, his government should explain how it plans to spend this intervention fund in addressing these diseases in the primary health sector,” Atiku added.
He further dismissed the government’s response to the withdrawal of U.S. funding for HIV/AIDS treatment in Nigeria, calling the N5 billion allocation a “paltry sum”.
Atiku warned that unless the Tinubu administration provides a clear framework for how the $1.07 billion health sector allocation will be utilized and monitored, Nigerians may view the budget as another fraudulent scheme disguised as public interest spending.
He urged the government to subject the appropriations to scrutiny by the National Assembly and establish public audit mechanisms to ensure accountability.
Atiku said: “If the Tinubu administration fails to provide a comprehensive framework to safeguard its purported huge investment in the health sector nor subject the appropriations to the scrutiny of the National Assembly, it may be safe to conclude that this is another episode of the administration committing a fraud in the name of public interest.”
