{"id":1365,"date":"2026-08-03T04:16:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T04:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/?p=1365"},"modified":"2026-08-03T04:16:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T04:16:32","slug":"billions-spent-yet-6516-primary-health-centres-lie-idle-across-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/03\/billions-spent-yet-6516-primary-health-centres-lie-idle-across-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Billions Spent, Yet 6,516 Primary Health Centres Lie Idle Across Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nigeria’s quest to provide accessible healthcare at the grassroots remains under severe strain as at least 6,516 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the country are currently non-functional despite years of federal and state government investments worth billions of naira to revitalise the sector.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An analysis of data obtained from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) by The PUNCH<\/em> shows that Katsina and Osun states have the highest number of inactive facilities, while separate findings indicate that the situation in insurgency-hit Borno State is considerably worse than reflected in the agency’s national records.<\/p>\n

According to the NPHCDA Primary Health Care Dashboard, Katsina leads the country with 442 non-functional PHCs, followed by Osun (406), Benue (343), Enugu (335), Adamawa (286), Jigawa (282), Delta (278), Yobe (248), Lagos (246), Ogun (246), Bauchi (229), Edo (221), Rivers (218) and Borno (159).<\/p>\n

Other states with inactive facilities include Bayelsa (120), Kwara (87), the Federal Capital Territory (68), Nasarawa (58), Sokoto (45), Oyo (40), Niger (35), Imo (34), Kebbi (32), Cross River (30), Kano (26), Zamfara (23), Plateau (18), Kogi (14) and Akwa Ibom (10).<\/p>\n

However, officials in Borno State say the national figures significantly understate the scale of destruction caused by more than a decade of Boko Haram insurgency.<\/p>\n

The Director of Community and Family Health at the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr Mala Wahab, disclosed that 358 primary healthcare facilities remain destroyed.<\/p>\n

According to him, Borno had 735 PHCs before the insurgency, but only 377 are currently operational.<\/p>\n

“Before insurgency, we had 735. Insurgency destroyed a lot of primary healthcare facilities,” Wahab said.<\/p>\n

He credited Governor Babagana Zulum’s administration with increasing the number of functional PHCs from fewer than 100 to 377 and disclosed that three additional facilities, now about 70 per cent completed, would raise the number to 380 when completed.<\/p>\n

“When they are finished, we will have a total of 380. They are spread across all the local government areas. All of them are accessible and serving residents where they are located,” he added.<\/p>\n

Wahab said the state had equipped the facilities and recruited more than 1,400 health workers but admitted that brain drain continued to undermine healthcare delivery.<\/p>\n

“Recently, the state employed more than 1,400 health workers deployed across the locations. Although we are affected by brain drain and people leaving in search of greener pastures, we have lost many workers, especially in hard-to-reach areas where people are afraid to work,” he said.<\/p>\n

The NPHCDA dashboard also indicates that Nigeria currently has 3,128 functional Level 2 PHCs, 3,275 revitalised PHCs and 5,141 facilities supported under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).<\/p>\n

The figures underscore the disconnect between infrastructure investments and effective healthcare delivery, particularly in rural communities where PHCs remain the first and, in many cases, only point of access to medical care.<\/p>\n

Primary healthcare centres provide routine immunisation, maternal and child healthcare, family planning, treatment for malaria and other common illnesses, nutrition services, disease surveillance, tuberculosis and HIV screening, health education and referral services.<\/p>\n

Health experts warn that when PHCs become non-functional, residents are forced to travel long distances to secondary or tertiary hospitals, delay treatment, rely on unqualified providers or resort to self-medication, worsening maternal mortality, child deaths and other preventable health challenges.<\/p>\n

The situation persists despite sustained interventions by the Federal Government and development partners through programmes such as the Primary Health Care Revitalisation Programme coordinated by the NPHCDA.<\/p>\n

The initiative focuses on rehabilitating dilapidated facilities by providing potable water, electricity, laboratories, delivery rooms, staff accommodation, solar power, vaccine cold-chain equipment and other essential infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Another major intervention is the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, established under the National Health Act to finance medicines, vaccines, equipment maintenance, emergency transportation, healthcare worker incentives and facility upgrades.<\/p>\n

Successive administrations have also implemented reforms, including the “PHC Under One Roof” policy aimed at strengthening governance and accountability in primary healthcare administration.<\/p>\n

The Tinubu administration has pledged to expand PHC revitalisation, recruit more frontline health workers, improve medicine availability, strengthen digital health systems and increase funding to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage.<\/p>\n

Despite these efforts, healthcare stakeholders insist infrastructure alone cannot revive the sector.<\/p>\n

They argue that many renovated facilities remain underutilised because they lack qualified personnel, essential medicines, laboratory services, electricity, water supply, ambulances and adequate security.<\/p>\n

Some state governments, however, insist they are making measurable progress.<\/p>\n

Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Yusuf, said the government had rehabilitated and equipped 320 PHCs over the past three years after inheriting 1,236 dilapidated health centres in 2023.<\/p>\n

“When we came in 2023, we found 1,236 health centres in dilapidated condition. I am happy to inform you that within the last three years, the government has renovated and equipped 320 PHCs,” he said.<\/p>\n

Yusuf also disclosed plans to recruit about 7,000 additional health workers, including nurses and midwives, to improve healthcare delivery.<\/p>\n

The ministry’s spokesman, Abubakar Nabulisi, maintained that the rehabilitated facilities were adequately staffed.<\/p>\n

In Zamfara State, Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Hussaini Anka, dismissed suggestions that PHCs had been abandoned, saying all facilities across the state’s 14 local government areas remained operational despite insecurity.<\/p>\n

“Our Primary Health Care Centres are still functioning in all the 14 local government areas of the state, and none has been closed despite the security challenges,” he said.<\/p>\n

He acknowledged manpower shortages but said Governor Dauda Lawal had approved the recruitment of additional personnel.<\/p>\n

Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche, also faulted the assessment of PHCs based on the availability of medical doctors.<\/p>\n

“Primary Health Care Centres are not designed to be routinely staffed by medical doctors,” he said, explaining that they are primarily managed by community health officers, community health extension workers, nurses, midwives and other frontline professionals.<\/p>\n

He maintained that “the vast majority of Primary Health Care Centres across the state remain functional and continue to provide essential healthcare services.”<\/p>\n

In Bauchi State, however, findings showed that many PHCs now rely heavily on volunteer nurses and midwives because of shortages of government-employed personnel.<\/p>\n

A health worker, who requested anonymity, said the few permanent staff had become overstretched.<\/p>\n

“We are overstretched. We are only assisted by volunteers who graduated from health-related colleges but have not secured government employment,” the source said.<\/p>\n

The worker added that volunteers receive no salaries and depend solely on the experience gained while rendering services.<\/p>\n

Akwa Ibom officials also acknowledged that although the state has over 400 PHCs, many communities still lack adequate primary healthcare facilities.<\/p>\n

In Anambra State, Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, said the state operates 441 PHCs supported by about 3,000 health workers, adding that the facilities provide free antenatal care, child delivery services and surgeries.<\/p>\n

“The PHCs have been upgraded across the 21 local government areas and are functioning effectively with state-of-the-art facilities,” he said.<\/p>\n

Cross River Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Ayuk, said the state had recruited more than 2,000 health professionals, while every one of its 196 political wards now has at least one functional PHC.<\/p>\n

Health advocates, however, insist that sustainable reforms require more than physical infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Deputy National Coordinator of TiB and ambassador of the NPHCDA’s Primary Health Care Under One Roof initiative, Jonathan Ugbal, blamed the crisis on poor remuneration, weak political commitment and inadequate funding.<\/p>\n

“The Alma Ata Declaration made it clear that Primary Health Care Centres are the foundation of every health system. The problem of non-functional PHCs is rooted in poor remuneration, lack of political will and other systemic bottlenecks,” he said.<\/p>\n

Ugbal urged governments to ensure that Basic Health Care Provision Fund resources are released directly to PHC boards or facilities while advocating autonomous PHC boards, improved welfare packages and rural posting incentives to attract and retain healthcare workers.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Advocacy Manager at Rural Healthcare for All, Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, called on state governments to fully utilise the opportunities provided by the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.<\/p>\n

“We are seeing considerable efforts at revitalisation, and states need to key into this initiative. The NPHCDA is doing a lot and deserves commendation,” she said.<\/p>\n

“The Basic Health Care Provision Fund is available for every state to access. Health is a fundamental right of every citizen. We need functional PHCs because when people, especially those in rural communities, cannot access basic healthcare, the consequences are severe,” Oluwatoyin added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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