February 3, 2026 01:22am
The Ekiti State Government has clarified that it allocated a total of N19.65bn to the health sector in its 2026 budget, dismissing claims circulating on social media that only N68m was earmarked for primary healthcare.
The allocation, according to the state Ministry of Health, covers funding for the Ministry of Health, the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Ekiti State Health Insurance Scheme, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Hospitals Management Board, Drugs and Health Supplies Management Agency, as well as the State Agency for the Control of AIDS.
The allocation, according to the state Ministry of Health, covers funding for the Ministry of Health, the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Ekiti State Health Insurance Scheme, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Hospitals Management Board, Drugs and Health Supplies Management Agency, as well as the State Agency for the Control of AIDS.
The clarification followed reports alleging that the 2026 budget made provision of just N68m for primary healthcare. Responding in a statement issued on Monday in Ado Ekiti, the Information Officer of the Ministry of Health, Wale Obelewaji, said the figure referred to only one capital budget line item and did not reflect the total resources committed to the health sector or to PHC.
“The N68m being quoted refers to a single, narrow capital budget line item under primary healthcare,” Obelewaji said. “It does not represent total PHC funding, total health funding, or the resources available to PHC through insurance schemes, personnel costs, donor-supported programmes or local government spending.
“When all health sector votes are considered together, over N2bn is allocated to PHC in the 2026 budget alone. This excludes state investments in the social determinants of health, such as water and sanitation, which are captured under other ministries.”
He described the focus on the N68m figure as a misrepresentation of the budget document.
Obelewaji further explained that primary healthcare operates under a tripartite responsibility structure involving the local, state and federal governments.
“For the avoidance of doubt, PHC is primarily the responsibility of the local government areas,” he said. “Local governments maintain PHC centres and provide operational expenses for basic services such as immunisation, maternal and child care, and health education.
