Stakeholders in Bauchi State have called on the Coordinating Minister of Health, Professor Mohammed Ali Pate, to prioritise transparency, accountability, and improved governance in the management of healthcare funds across Nigeria.
They urged the Federal Ministry of Health to disclose how billions of naira allocated to over 8,000 health facilities under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) are being utilised.
Speaking in Azare, headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area, the spokesman of the group and Director of the Andiwa Farmers Association, Dr. Yahaya Ibrahim, said it was vital for citizens, particularly rural dwellers, peasant farmers, and vulnerable groups to understand how healthcare funds are spent in their communities.
He stressed that public awareness of fund allocation and utilisation would foster trust, enhance service delivery, and strengthen accountability in the health sector.
Dr. Yahaya commended BudgIT, a civic tech organisation, for invoking the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to request data from the health ministry on the recent ₦32.9 billion disbursed through the BHCPF.
He also praised Tracka, BudgIT’s community arm, for its efforts in tracking constituency projects and promoting transparency at the grassroots level.
He expressed concern that the ministry had yet to respond to BudgIT’s inquiry, describing its silence as “unhelpful and contrary to democratic values.”
He urged the ministry to release information within the stipulated time frame, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration should lead by example in upholding openness and accountability.
Dr. Yahaya further called on the health ministry to publish the full list and locations of all facilities that benefited from the latest disbursement.
According to him, transparency in the management of healthcare funds would not only ensure that resources reach the intended beneficiaries but also rebuild public confidence in Nigeria’s health system.
