By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The health sector has emerged as a major highlight of the 2026 federal budget proposals before the National Assembly, with a total allocation of N2.136 trillion and fresh calls for special take-off grants to support newly established federal hospitals across the country.
Chairman of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Banigo, appealed on Wednesday while presenting the harmonised report of the Senate and House Committees on Health to the Joint Committee on Appropriations.
Banigo urged lawmakers to make dedicated financial provisions to ensure the smooth take-off of new tertiary health institutions, stressing that without immediate operational funding, the facilities may struggle to deliver essential services.
The newly established hospitals include the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia; Federal University Teaching Hospital, Akure; Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo; and the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ila-Orangun.
According to her, take-off grants are critical for addressing urgent operational needs, such as staffing, equipment procurement, essential drugs, and basic infrastructure.
She disclosed that the 2026 budget proposal for the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare provides N1.17 trillion for personnel, N57.03 billion for overhead, and N924.25 billion for capital expenditure, bringing the total allocation to N2.136 trillion.
Banigo said the allocation reflects the Federal Government’s target of investing at least six per cent of the total national budget, net of liabilities, in the health sector to strengthen healthcare delivery nationwide.
“The aim is to revitalise our hospitals with medication and better resources, care for all Nigerians by procuring essential drugs for distribution to the public, and ensure quality healthcare facilities nationwide,” she said.
However, the committee expressed concern over funding shortfalls in previous appropriations. Banigo noted that many hospitals were yet to receive full releases of their 2024 budgetary allocations.
“Although all of the 2024 appropriations have been uploaded, about 60 per cent of payments are still pending in many cases, and in some instances, only 30 per cent of the appropriated funds have been released,” she said.
Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Tahir Monguno, assured that the committee would examine the concerns and work towards improving releases to critical sectors, particularly health.
*Justice Minister faults centralised payment system
Meanwhile, concerns over delayed fund releases also featured prominently during the 2026 budget defence session of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), strongly criticised the current centralised payment system operated by the Ministry of Finance for capital projects executed by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Fagbemi advocated a return to the old system, in which funds were released directly to MDAs for project execution, arguing that the current arrangement has created avoidable bottlenecks.
“The old system is better because you don’t need to know anybody before your allocation is released,” he said.
He lamented that the Justice Ministry recorded zero performance in its 2025 capital budget, despite a purported release of N869 million, which he said was not backed by cash.
Like many other MDAs, the ministry has been unable to implement capital projects due to delays and funding constraints.
President Bola Tinubu had approved the rollover of 70 per cent of unspent 2025 capital allocations into the 2026 fiscal year to cushion the impact.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (SAN), backed the minister’s position, warning that bureaucratic delays in funding the justice sector could undermine national stability.
He said, “Where the justice sector is delayed or hamstrung through bureaucratic bottlenecks, the system is put under pressure. We need a process that responds speedily to the demands of the justice sector.”
*JAMB targets N23.8bn IGR, to remit N6bn surplus
In the education sector, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has projected an internally generated revenue (IGR) of N23.8 billion for 2026, representing a N4 billion increase over its 2025 target.
A director in the office of the Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, presented the proposal before the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund.
Out of the N23.8 billion projected IGR, JAMB plans to remit N6 billion into the Federation Account as operating surplus. The examination body proposed a total budget profile of N30.6 billion for 2026.
The agency also disclosed that it generated N18.5 billion in 2025 and remitted N4 billion as surplus.
On preparations for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the board said it had increased the number of examination centres to 1,000, up from fewer than 800 used in 2025.
While the committee commended JAMB’s performance, some lawmakers urged the board to consider further reduction of its N3,500 examination fee.
The agency responded that the fee had already been reduced from N5,000 under the current administration.
*South-East govs add N25bn to SEDC’s N140bn allocation
Also on Wednesday, the Senate disclosed that the five South-East governors had agreed to contribute N5 billion each to augment the N140 billion proposed for the South East Development Commission (SEDC) in 2026.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on SEDC, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, said the additional N25 billion would support impactful development projects across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
He explained that inadequate funding in 2025 had stalled several strategic projects, making the 2026 proposal crucial to reviving development efforts, particularly in health and education, in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee praised the initiative and called on governors from other geopolitical zones to emulate the South-East model.
As budget deliberations continue, the health sector’s record allocation and lawmakers’ insistence on improved funding mechanisms underscore the National Assembly’s resolve to prioritise service delivery, accountability and development across key sectors in 2026.
