FG to Provide N150bn for Vaccines, Immunisation

•As Senate begins overhaul of primary health system, re-enacts NPHCDA law for universal healthcare access

•Pate: Health sector reforms achieved 84% progress mark 

•Senate bill targets decentralisation, digital integration, community-led service delivery

Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The federal government has said that it will mobilize close to N150 billion to fund procurement of vaccines for immunization in 2025 and 2026.

The move to fund vaccine procurement trails the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare self-pass-mark which noted its reforms implementation strategy code-named Sector Wide Approach has achieved 84 percent success rate as at the third quarter of 2025.

Also, the Minister of Budget and National Planning Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu urged states to vote more resources for the improvement of health sector.

The Coordinating Minister of Finance and Economy, Mr. Wale Edun who spoke on Wednesday at the commencement of the Joint Annual Review of the Health Sector in Nigeria holding in Abuja said there has been some measure of improvement in the country’s health sector.

In a related hector sector development, the Senate on Wednesday took a major legislative step toward transforming Nigeria’s primary healthcare system with the consideration of a bill seeking to repeal and re-enact the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Act.

The proposed legislation which is the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2025 (SB. 900), was sponsored by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola.

It aimed to modernise the nation’s primary healthcare delivery framework to ensure equitable, accessible, and efficient services across all communities.

According to the Coordinating Minister of Finance and Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, the administration in the health sector is currently marked by excellence in project development across the whole sector.

Edun said significant improvement in health sector funding has been achieved at the federal level with about 60 percent increment in allocation to the health sector recorded in the 2025

The minister said that government is seeking to mobilize N150 billion to cover cost of vaccine procurement for the 2025-2026 immunization drive.

In addition, the minister said the administration is determined to close gap between appropriation and budgetary releases to ensure the desired goals are achieved

Edun further said: “The health sector budget has increased by nearly 60 percent and funds from the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund has more than doubled from N131.5 billion in 2024 to N298 billion in 2025”.

He added that, “Federal government is currently seeking to raise funds close to N150 billion to cover vaccine procurement for 2025 and 2026”.

The minister said with the shrinking in foreign donor funds assistance, there is need for Nigeria to fully exploit domestic resources to support key development sectors.

His words: “We must mobilize our own domestic resources. As for the health sector, we know that more funding has been made available and as the distortions in the economy have been removed, it has released funds which are previously not available in Nigeria.

“Because of this the federal government has more, states have more and local councils have move funds. In the terms of federal, health sector has done well.”

Edun said the federal government has demonstrated its determination to prioritize the health sector by increasing the budget allocation to health sector from 3.5 percent to and 5.5 percent,

Edun also said the federal government is bracing up to the challenges of closing gaps between appropriation and budgetary releases to ensure realization of set goals.

He said the fact that Nigeria is still getting international support in the health sector is because of the prevailing atmosphere of transparency, accountability and governance structure that the world and other countries recognize that they can key into it.

“It is important that we mobilize domestic resources to the maximum knowing multilateralism, communal and global effort has receded, “ Edun said

Earlier while speaking on the milestones attained by the federal government in the healthcare sector, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Mohammad Pate, said the overall goal of the federal government is to make healthcare services more efficient and affordable to Nigerians.

He said the objective of the 2025 Joint Annual Review, was to access the progress made at achieving the goals of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.

He said the success rates of the reforms can be seen from the health sector performance.

With regard to the attainment of goal of Universal Health Coverage, Pate said the country is now making incremental progress in health outcomes especially in the area of immunization coverage and reduction of child and maternal mortality.

According to Pate, there has been a major drop of about 17 percent in maternal mortality rate across 172 local government areas in the country as a result of improvements in health services.

He also said the report of a survey conducted by the government indicated that more and more Nigerians are having confidence and trust in our public health facilities.

In the area of welfare and recruitment of healthcare workers, the minister said that government has approved the sum N1 billion to settle arrears owed health workers while more than 20,000 health workers were recruited in various federal government health facilities across the country in the last one year.

In his remarks, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu said there is need for closer collaboration among all tiers of government to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

He also urged the states to borrow a leaf from what federal government is doing in terms of allocating more funds to the health sector.

Further according to him, state governments have benefited from increased revenue earnings from federation account as such should use the additional resources to fund key development sectors like healthcare.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Secondary and Tertiary, Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo, said the current National Assembly has been very supportive towards the drive to reposition the health sector.

She said the Senate has made series legislative interventions and inputs in policy making as it affects the country’s health sector.

Meanwhile, leading debate on the bill, Senator Adeola said the existing law, enacted over three decades ago, had become outdated and incapable of addressing today’s healthcare realities.

He explained that the proposed re-enactment would reposition the NPHCDA as the central driver of universal access to quality healthcare, aligning it with Nigeria’s ongoing health sector reforms and global best practices.

He said, “Primary health care remains the foundation of every functional health system.

“It is the closest and most critical point of contact between citizens and the healthcare system, providing preventive, promotive, and basic curative services.”

The lawmaker stressed the current framework no longer reflects modern approaches to healthcare delivery, such as universal health coverage, digital health integration, and community health insurance.

According to him, “The law guiding the agency’s operations does not address emerging health challenges or the use of technology and data in improving healthcare outcomes.

“This bill will provide a legal structure that promotes decentralisation, accountability, and community-led service delivery.”

Adeola added the proposed law would strengthen coordination between federal, state, and local governments while introducing sustainable financing mechanisms for the health sector.

It would also promote the integration of technology, data systems, and health research in primary health care delivery.

The senator explained the re-enacted law would empower Ward Health Committees and local partnerships, ensuring that communities take ownership of their health facilities.

He said, “This bill is not just about restructuring an agency. It is about bringing healthcare closer to every Nigerian, especially the poor, women, and children who bear the highest disease burden.”

He further noted the bill aligns with Nigeria’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, which is “Good Health and Well-being.”

He said it would bolster national resilience against epidemics and other public health emergencies.

He said, “Without a functional and well-coordinated primary health care system, no nation can achieve equitable growth or human capital development.

“This bill reflects our resolve to ensure that no community is left behind.”

Adeola assured his colleagues that the proposed legislation would not impose any new financial burden on the federal government, since the NPHCDA is already an established statutory body.

“In compliance with Order 76(3) of the Senate Standing Orders, this bill will not require additional expenditure from the national treasury,” he said.

He, therefore, urged his colleagues to support the bill, describing it as a strategic reform to revitalise Nigeria’s primary health care system and make it more responsive to the needs of all citizens.

He said, “The passage of this bill will mark a turning point in the delivery of quality healthcare to Nigerians, ensuring that from the remotest village to the busiest city, every citizen has access to life-saving services.”