By joshua
INGRA COMMENDS KOGI’S TOP-THREE HEALTH INVESTMENT RANKING, CALLS FOR MORE HEALTH WORKERS AND STRONGER ACCOUNTABILITY
The Initiative for Grassroot Advancement in Nigeria (INGRA) has commended the Kogi State Government for ranking among the top three states in Nigeria in the proportion of reported Ministry of Health capital expenditure to state revenue in 2025.
INGRA’s analysis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum State Actuals for 2020–2025 shows that Kogi recorded health capital expenditure equivalent to about 7.08% of its reported revenue in 2025, placing the State third behind Ondo and Oyo among states covered by the analysis.
INGRA describes this as an encouraging indication of increased government attention to the health sector. However, the organisation stresses that increased expenditure must translate into better, more accessible and more responsive health services for citizens.
A major priority must therefore be Human Resources for Health.
Hospitals and Primary Health Care facilities cannot function effectively without adequate numbers of doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory professionals, community health workers and other essential personnel. New buildings, equipment and other capital investments will have limited impact where health facilities remain understaffed.
INGRA therefore calls on the Kogi State Government to urgently undertake a statewide assessment of health-worker requirements and develop a phased programme for the recruitment, equitable deployment and retention of qualified health professionals, with particular attention to rural and underserved communities.
Government should also improve incentives and working conditions for health workers, strengthen continuous professional development and ensure that upgraded health facilities are adequately supported with personnel, medicines, diagnostics and essential equipment.
Beyond increased spending, INGRA calls for a much stronger accountability and public reporting framework for the health sector. Government should routinely publish health-sector budget allocations, releases, cash backing and actual expenditure, clearly separating capital and recurrent spending and showing how resources are distributed across facilities, programmes and Local Government Areas.
Citizens should not only be told how much has been spent; they should be able to see what was delivered, where it was delivered, at what cost and what measurable improvement resulted.
INGRA therefore urges the Kogi State Government to establish periodic public health expenditure and performance reports, strengthen legislative and civil-society oversight, and create accessible mechanisms through which citizens can track health projects, staffing levels, medicines, equipment and service availability in their communities.
Where substantial expenditure is reported but facilities remain without adequate staff, drugs, diagnostics or essential services, government should investigate the gap and make the findings public. Accountability must extend from appropriation to release, expenditure, service delivery and measurable outcomes.
Kogi’s position among the leading states is worthy of commendation, but the ultimate measure of success is not the amount spent alone. It is whether a pregnant woman can find a skilled health worker when she reaches a facility; whether children can receive timely treatment; whether laboratories are functional; and whether citizens, particularly those in rural communities, can access quality healthcare without unnecessary delays.
INGRA urges the State Government to build on this progress by making Human Resources for Health, transparency and public accountability major investment priorities, so that increased health expenditure produces visible and measurable improvements in the lives of Kogi citizens.
Signed
HAMZA IBRAHIM ALIYU
Executive Director
Initiative for Grassroot Advancement in Nigeria (INGRA)
27 Clarence Olafemi Street, Behind FUL Adankolo Campus, Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria
Tel: 08033177259
Website: www.ingranigeria.org
…Commitment to rural development