Commissioner Promises Action as CSOs Sound Alarm Over Zero Funding for Key Health Programmes
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
Civil society organisations in Kaduna State are raising the alarm over the complete lack of funding for critical community health programmes, even as the government continues ambitious reforms in the sector.
The warning came during an advocacy visit to the Kaduna State Ministry of Health led by the State Coordinator of the Tax Justice & Governance Platform (TJ&GP), Simeon Olatunde, and Secretary of the Kaduna State Maternal Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM), Dr. Suleyman Tanko.
The delegation, also representing the Open Government Partnership Technical Working Group, presented findings from the Third Quarter (Q3) 2025 Health Budget Performance Analysis.
The leaders revealed that programmes for community engagement in health and universal health coverage (UHC) recorded zero performance due to no release of funds. Health infrastructure upgrades achieved just 10.5 percent execution, while governance-focused initiatives performed comparatively better at 55.6 percent.
The CSOs stressed the urgency of immediate action, warning that with only 37 days left in the fiscal year, citizen-centered programmes risk being left unimplemented despite the government’s broader reforms.
“These gaps must be addressed now to ensure that public funds truly reach the people,” they said.
Responding, the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma K. Ahmed, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to treating health and education as capital projects.
She highlighted the state’s achievements, including the renovation and upgrade of over 1,000 primary healthcare centres, the recruitment of 1,800 health workers to close rural workforce gaps, systematic upgrades to secondary health facilities, and national recognition for excellence in medical supply chain management benefiting over 70,000 residents.
On concerns over community mobilisation and gender-sensitive sanitation, the Commissioner promised stronger engagement and collaboration with relevant authorities.
The advocacy visit underscores a growing partnership between civil society and government to ensure accountability, improve budget execution, and translate public resources into tangible health outcomes.
TJ&GP, KADMAM, and the OGP TWG will continue monitoring fund releases for key programmes and hold follow-up engagements in early 2026.
