Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over the transparency and accountability of the Federal Government’s proposed $1.07 billion investment in Nigeria’s primary healthcare sector.
He warned against the mismanagement of funds through dubious and unaccounted expenditures.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Sunday, criticized the lack of comprehensive details on how the funds, largely sourced from foreign loans and international donor support will be spent.
He cautioned against past incidents where bizarre claims of animals such as snakes, termites, gorillas, and monkeys were linked to missing public funds, emphasizing that such mismanagement must not befall Nigeria’s healthcare budget.
“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 initially proposed for the health sector in the draft budget.
“It is troubling that this additional funding was largely sourced through foreign loans, yet there is no clear framework detailing its expenditure.” Atiku noted.
The former vice president criticized the Tinubu administration’s failure to allocate any of the funds to physical healthcare infrastructure, describing it as a red flag for potential misappropriation.
According to him, while the government claims the funds will go toward improving governance, recruiting and training healthcare workers, and enhancing primary healthcare services, Nigerians deserve a transparent breakdown of the spending plan.
“For an administration already struggling with a trust deficit, Nigerians cannot afford to accept a vague explanation for such a significant budgetary allocation,” Atiku added.
He also took aim at the government’s recent claims of improvements in the country’s tertiary hospitals, stating that many teaching hospitals continue to lack basic infrastructure, including stable electricity.
Atiku further criticized the administration’s response to the recent announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump on cutting American aid for HIV/AIDS treatment in Nigeria, calling the government’s allocation of N5 billion a “paltry sum” in comparison to the actual healthcare needs of the country.
“The major diseases plaguing our primary healthcare sector remain malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.
“If the Tinubu administration truly prioritizes the health of Nigerians, it must explain how this intervention fund will be spent in tackling these diseases,” he said.
Atiku warned that unless the Federal Government subjects the $1.07 billion health sector intervention to a transparent audit and scrutiny by the National Assembly, it risks being perceived as another instance of financial mismanagement under the guise of public interest.
