The Federal Government has disbursed N68 billion to support vaccine financing and released an additional N50 billion to clear outstanding arrears owed to health workers.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, made the announcement on Thursday during the 66th National Council on Health meeting in Calabar, Cross River State.
The gathering, themed “My health, my right: Accelerating universal health coverage through equity, resilience, and innovation,” convened federal and state health leaders to review sectoral progress and chart new policy directions.
Pate revealed that the N68 billion earmarked for vaccines had already been paid into the account of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, with the Central Bank of Nigeria set to initiate processing for UNICEF.
The release of the funds aligns with ongoing national efforts to strengthen primary healthcare and fast-track the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
Emphasising the need for prudent resource utilisation, Pate urged both federal and state authorities to invest effectively in improving health outcomes.
“From the Federal Government side, I have a lot of good news to share. For those who attended the Joint Annual Review last week, we got approval on Friday for N68 billion for vaccine financing to be released. Last night, the money was in the account of the Primary Health Care Agency, and today, the CBN will start processing it for UNICEF to receive,” he said.
“That is a tangible indication of the seriousness with which we take health spending, ensuring that resources are increasingly becoming available. It’s not an inconsequential commitment, and I thank the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Budget for ensuring that these resources come through.
“Similarly, there were outstanding arrears from a couple of years ago for health workers. The Minister of Finance was able to deploy N50 billion. I am highlighting this to show the link between increasing revenues and federal spending, and to urge all states to continue to mirror this by not only allocating additional resources but also deploying them where needed in the health sector. As we look forward, we expect faster progress in reaching Nigeria’s Universal Health Coverage targets,” he added.
Just last week, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, disclosed that the government is working to raise nearly N150 billion to fund vaccine procurement for 2025 and 2026.
Speaking at the 2025 Joint Annual Review of the Health Sector, themed “All Hands, One Mission: Bringing the Nigerian Health Sector to Light,” Edun highlighted significant increases in the health budget.
“The health sector budget in 2025 rose by nearly 60 per cent, and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund has more than doubled from N31.5 billion in 2024 to nearly N299 billion in 2026,” Edun said.
“Similarly, with immunisation, we are actively seeking to raise additional funds, around N150 billion, to cover vaccine procurement needed for 2025 and 2026. We also know that the budget for health is now over five per cent — 5.2 per cent of the national budget, up from just over three per cent a couple of years ago. Health is being prioritised. Our commitment is to close the gap between appropriation and the release of funds.”
He stressed the importance of boosting domestic resource mobilisation while acknowledging the vital role of global partnerships in modern health financing.
