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 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.
“The state government, through the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, coordinates implementation, provides supervision, sets the framework and supports local governments with personnel and infrastructure.”
He added that health financing in Ekiti is spread across multiple agencies and funding streams, stressing that the N19.65bn allocation would enable the state to consolidate existing gains and accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
According to him, the Biodun Oyebanji administration has consistently prioritised healthcare delivery. He noted that in 2025, the state spent over N33.7bn on health, with more than half invested in primary healthcare.
“Major drivers included Ulerawa health insurance payments under the Ekiti State Health Insurance Scheme, renovation of 103 PHC facilities, commodity procurement and health worker incentivisation through the World Bank-supported IMPACT Project,” he said.
He disclosed that Ekiti committed N25.8bn to health in 2022, N8.7bn in 2023 and N16.8bn in 2024.
Governor Oyebanji signed the N415.57bn 2026 budget into law on December 23, 2025, after presenting it to the House of Assembly on October 10. Tagged the Budget of Sustainable Governance, it allocates 53 per cent to recurrent expenditure and 47 per cent to capital projects.
Despite the clarification, the state government has faced criticism on social media over claims that only N68m was provided for primary healthcare in the 2026 budget.
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