Yobe Tops Among States in Nigeria With Over 80% Health Budget Implementation – BudgIT Report

Yobe Tops Among States in Nigeria With Over 80% Health Budget Implementation — BudgIT Report

By Yusuf Ali

Yobe State has emerged as the top-performing state in health budget implementation, according to BudgIT’s 2025 State of States Report.

The civic-tech organisation revealed that only seven states — Yobe, Gombe, Ekiti, Lagos, Edo, Delta, and Bauchi — implemented more than 80 per cent of their health budgets in 2024.

According to the report, Yobe led the national chart with a 98.2 per cent implementation rate, a clear indication of the state government’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Although Yobe’s total health expenditure stood at ₦13.24 billion, ranking 24th among all states, BudgIT described its performance as exemplary in terms of budget execution and fiscal discipline.

The report, released on Tuesday in Abuja, was produced by BudgIT, a leading civic-tech organisation that promotes fiscal transparency and accountability. It listed Yobe alongside the six other states as the best-performing in health budget implementation for 2024.

According to BudgIT, Nigerian states collectively budgeted ₦1.32 trillion for health in 2024 but only spent ₦816.64 billion, representing a 61.9 per cent national performance average. It added that on average, states spent ₦3,483 per person on health, with only a few exceeding ₦5,000 per capita.

Yobe and the other six states distinguished themselves by achieving over 80 per cent implementation of their health sector allocations — a mark of effective governance, transparency, and fiscal responsibility.

BudgIT’s latest report attributed Yobe’s outstanding performance to the state’s sustained investment in healthcare infrastructure and systems under the Governor Mai Mala Buni administration, which has consistently prioritised health sector funding and accountability.

From the revitalisation of 142 primary healthcare centres across 142 wards to the upgrade of general hospitals, and the establishment of institutions such as the Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (YSCHMA), the Yobe State Emergency Medical Ambulance Services (YEMABUS), the Yobe State Drugs Management Agency (YODMA), Yobe has firmly positioned itself as a pacesetter in efficient and people-centred health governance in Northern Nigeria.

BudgIT’s Global Director, Oluseun Onigbinde, commended the top-performing states but expressed concern that despite increased revenue inflows from the federation account, many states have not effectively channelled resources into essential services like healthcare.

“The State of States report is a mirror reflecting the choices our state governments make, the paths they follow, and the opportunities they leave behind,” Onigbinde said.

He called for stronger fiscal accountability, innovation, and investment in sectors that directly impact citizens’ well-being.

Also speaking, Uche Amaonwu, Country Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, congratulated BudgIT on its decade-long effort to promote fiscal transparency and accountability across Nigeria.

Amaonwu noted that sound fiscal management remains key to improving service delivery, empowering citizens, and promoting shared prosperity.

“Fiscal health is human health, and governance, when transparent and accountable, is the bridge that connects both,” he added.

BudgIT’s latest report therefore serves as both a commendation for high-performing states like Yobe and a call to action for others to strengthen fiscal management and ensure that public funds translate into tangible improvements in healthcare and other critical social sectors.