Sokoto neglects Primary Healthcare, disburses just 5% of capital budget in 2025
By Aminu Abubakar
A detailed review of Sokoto State Government’s 2025 budget performance by SolaceBase has revealed a troubling pattern of neglect in the health sector, with primary healthcare emerging as the most affected area after the state disbursed just five per cent of its capital allocation to the sub-sector.
The findings, contained in the state’s fourth-quarter capital expenditure report, show that while significant funds were budgeted for healthcare development, only a fraction was actually released and utilised, leaving critical projects unimplemented and exposing gaps in service delivery across the state.
Overall, Sokoto approved a final capital budget of ₦353.8 billion for 2025 but spent only ₦180.2 billion by the end of the fiscal year, representing a performance rate of 50.9 per cent. Despite this moderate aggregate performance, the health sector recorded one of the poorest execution rates, highlighting a stark imbalance in spending priorities.
Within the sector, the Ministry of Health posted a dismal execution rate of 12.3 per cent. Out of a revised capital allocation of ₦25.95 billion, only ₦3.19 billion was utilised, leaving a staggering ₦22.75 billion unspent. This means that nearly nine out of every ten naira earmarked for capital health projects in 2025 were not implemented.
The situation is even more alarming at the primary healthcare level. The Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), which is responsible for delivering basic healthcare services, particularly in rural and underserved communities, recorded the lowest performance in the sector. Of its ₦9.42 billion allocation, only ₦472.27 million was spent—representing just five per cent implementation.
This underperformance effectively stalled the majority of planned primary healthcare projects, raising serious concerns about access to essential services such as maternal and child healthcare, immunisation programmes, and treatment of common illnesses. Primary healthcare is widely regarded as the foundation of any functional health system, serving as the first point of contact for most citizens. The near-total underutilisation of funds in this area suggests that many communities may have been left without critical services throughout the year.
Further analysis of the report by SolaceBase shows that several key health institutions recorded zero capital expenditure despite having substantial budgetary provisions. The Specialist Hospital, which had an allocation of ₦848.7 million, did not utilise any of the funds. Similarly, the Orthopedic Hospital Wamakko, with a budget of ₦155 million, recorded no capital spending for the entire year.
The Sokoto State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency also failed to disburse any of its ₦152 million allocation. The agency plays a vital role in expanding access to affordable healthcare through insurance schemes, and its inactivity suggests missed opportunities to improve financial protection for residents, particularly vulnerable populations.
Training and capacity-building institutions within the health sector were not spared. The College of Nursing Sciences recorded a performance rate of 19.8 per cent, spending ₦121.9 million out of ₦615 million. Meanwhile, the College of Nursing Sciences, Tambuwal, failed to record any capital expenditure despite receiving an allocation of ₦515 million.
Similarly, the Sultan AbdulRahman College of Health Technology spent just ₦28.26 million out of ₦482 million, representing 5.9 per cent performance. These low levels of investment point to a slowdown in efforts to train healthcare professionals, a critical component of strengthening the state’s health system and improving service delivery in the long term.
In contrast, several other sectors recorded significantly stronger budget execution, underscoring a possible shift in government priorities away from healthcare. The Ministry of Lands and Housing achieved a performance rate of 71.4 per cent, spending ₦51.57 billion out of ₦72.17 billion. The Ministry of Transport also posted relatively high implementation, utilising ₦24.71 billion, or 58.9 per cent of its allocation.
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The Ministry for Religious Affairs recorded 63.4 per cent performance with ₦5.4 billion spent, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources achieved 65 per cent execution. These figures stand in sharp contrast to the health sector’s 12.3 per cent, highlighting a significant disparity in capital investment across sectors.
Even within the broader social sector—which includes health, education, and social welfare—overall performance stood at 37.2 per cent. However, health lagged behind education, where the Ministry of Education recorded a comparatively stronger execution rate of 56.4 per cent, spending ₦22.83 billion out of ₦40.5 billion.
The disparity between allocations and actual spending in the health sector underscores a persistent gap between policy commitments and implementation. While the budget on paper suggests a recognition of the importance of healthcare, the low level of fund utilisation indicates that these commitments did not translate into tangible improvements in infrastructure or services.
The implications of this trend are far-reaching. Poor capital investment in healthcare infrastructure often results in inadequate facilities, shortages of essential medical equipment, and reduced capacity to respond to public health challenges. In a state where a large proportion of the population depends on public health services, the failure to execute budgeted projects risks widening existing gaps in access and quality of care.
At different times, experts have noted concerns on unspent funds in agencies directly responsible for frontline service delivery. The limited spending by the PHCDA and other key institutions suggests that both immediate healthcare needs and long-term system strengthening efforts were compromised.
With Sokoto State in a new fiscal cycle, the 2025 budget performance highlights the urgent need for improved budget execution, particularly in critical sectors such as healthcare. Addressing administrative bottlenecks, strengthening oversight mechanisms, and ensuring timely release of funds, stakeholders have overtime noted will be essential to bridging the gap between allocations and actual service delivery.
Without such reforms, the disconnect between budgetary intent and on-the-ground impact is likely to persist, with primary healthcare—and the communities that depend on it—continuing to bear the brunt of underinvestment.
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