A civil society organisation, AdvoKC Foundation, has urged the House of Representatives to fast-track a bill seeking to increase federal funding for basic healthcare, warning that further delays could prevent the proposed reform from influencing the 2027 budget.
The National Health Act (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to at least double the share of the Consolidated Revenue Fund allocated to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, was passed by the Senate on April 23, 2026, but is still awaiting concurrence by the House, according to the organisation.
AdvoKC called on the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, and the leadership of the chamber to schedule the bill for consideration before the next recess, arguing that the remaining legislative steps were becoming increasingly urgent as the 2027 general election approached.
In a statement signed by its Communications Manager, Luqman Adamu, the organisation said the House should use its sittings to conclude consideration of the bill, direct the relevant committee to report to plenary and publicly commit to a timeline for concurrence and harmonisation with the Senate.
“The Senate has done its part,” the foundation’s Project Director, Habib Sheidu, said.
“The question now is whether the House will treat primary healthcare as urgent business or as something that can wait for the next resumption. Nigerians in communities where the health centre is the only option cannot afford another adjournment without action.
“We are asking the Speaker to schedule this Bill and to tell Nigerians when it will be done,” Sheidu added.
The proposed amendment concerns the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, established under Section 11 of the National Health Act 2014 to finance basic healthcare services.
Under the existing framework, the fund supports health insurance, essential medicines and primary healthcare facilities, as well as emergency medical response.
AdvoKC said the fund’s performance record made the proposed increase particularly important.
Citing figures from a Federal Ministry of Health response to a Freedom of Information request, reported by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, the organisation said the Federal Government disbursed N32.88bn through the fund in the first half of 2025, with N16.44bn released in each of the first two quarters.
The same response, according to the organisation, listed 1,164 beneficiary facilities as only partly functional — roughly one in every seven facilities on the list.
The foundation also recalled that the House had been alerted to concerns about the fund’s implementation in a motion placed on its order paper on October 18, 2023.
It argued that increasing the statutory allocation would give primary healthcare a more predictable funding base, but cautioned that a higher allocation alone would not resolve the sector’s problems if approved funds were not appropriated and released on time.
“Doubling the statutory share is not a cure-all, and a higher percentage means little if funds are not appropriated and released on time,” the organisation said in its statement.
“But a Fund set at the legal minimum, serving a primary healthcare network of this scale, has no margin for error. Raising the floor is the necessary first step,” it said.
AdvoKC said the amendment would also give lawmakers a clearer benchmark for holding the executive accountable for the release and use of funds, noting that many Nigerians continue to pay directly for healthcare and rely on primary health centres as their main point of access to medical services.
The organisation asked the House leadership to ensure that the bill was not left unattended before another adjournment, warning that delays could narrow the opportunity for the amendment to shape the 2027 appropriation process.
It said it had advocated for the bill during its consideration at the Senate committee stage and would continue pushing for its passage, presidential assent and implementation.