Non-functional PHCs in Nigeria
At least 6,516 Primary Healthcare Centres across Nigeria remain non-functional despite years of federal and state government spending aimed at revitalising healthcare at the community level.
The situation has left millions of Nigerians, particularly people living in rural and hard-to-reach communities, without reliable access to basic medical services.
An analysis of data obtained from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency showed that Katsina State recorded the highest number of inactive facilities, with 442, followed by Osun State with 406. Benue recorded 343, Enugu 335, Adamawa 286, Jigawa 282 and Delta 278.
The continuing problem of non-functional PHCs in Nigeria exposes a disturbing gap between government announcements, budgetary allocations and the actual services available to citizens.
Primary healthcare facilities are supposed to provide the first level of medical care, including immunisation, antenatal services, childbirth support, family planning, malaria treatment, disease surveillance and referrals.
When these centres are closed, poorly equipped or without qualified personnel, rural residents are forced to travel long distances, delay treatment, rely on unqualified providers or resort to self-medication.
Katsina, Osun Record Highest Numbers
The NPHCDA data placed Katsina at the top of the list with 442 non-functional facilities, while Osun followed with 406.
Other states with high figures included Benue, with 343; Enugu, 335; Adamawa, 286; Jigawa, 282; Delta, 278; Yobe, 248; Lagos and Ogun, with 246 each; Bauchi, 229; Edo, 221; Rivers, 218; and Borno, 159.
Bayelsa reportedly had 120 inactive facilities, Kwara 87, the Federal Capital Territory 68, Nasarawa 58, Sokoto 45, Oyo 40, Niger 35, Imo 34, Kebbi 32 and Cross River 30.
The widespread distribution of non-functional PHCs in Nigeria shows that the crisis is not restricted to one region or political administration.
It affects densely populated states, conflict-affected communities, oil-producing areas and major urban centres.
The figures also indicate that the mere existence of a healthcare building does not mean that residents have access to treatment. A facility may be officially listed but remain unable to provide care because it lacks workers, medicines, water, electricity or basic equipment.
Borno Figures May Be Worse Than Dashboard Shows
The situation in Borno State may be significantly worse than the figure recorded on the national dashboard.
Although the NPHCDA data listed 159 non-functional facilities in Borno, the Director of Community and Family Health at the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr Mala Wahab, said 358 facilities remained destroyed after years of insurgency.
Borno reportedly had 735 PHCs before the insurgency but currently has 377 operating facilities. Wahab said the state had increased the number of functioning centres from fewer than 100 before the present administration, while three additional facilities were about 70 per cent completed.
The Borno example shows why official figures on non-functional PHCs in Nigeria must be examined alongside conditions on the ground.
Facilities located in areas affected by insurgency, banditry or communal conflict may be inaccessible even when they have not been formally classified as inactive.
Healthcare workers may also refuse postings to insecure or isolated communities, leaving completed facilities without personnel.
Buildings Without Workers Cannot Deliver Healthcare
One of the major weaknesses in Nigeria’s PHC revitalisation efforts is the tendency to concentrate on renovating physical structures.
A building may receive new paint, roofing, solar panels and medical equipment, but it will remain ineffective without trained nurses, midwives, community health workers, laboratory personnel and doctors to supervise complicated cases.
The national data showed that Nigeria had 3,128 functional Level 2 PHCs, 3,275 revitalised facilities and 5,141 centres supported through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
However, health advocates have warned that some renovated facilities remain underused because of shortages of skilled workers, essential medicines, laboratory services, electricity, water, ambulances and security.
The persistence of non-functional PHCs in Nigeria therefore cannot be solved through construction contracts alone.
Government must treat staffing, maintenance, drug supplies, worker accommodation, security and reliable utilities as essential parts of every revitalisation project.
A healthcare centre is functional only when patients can enter it and receive safe, consistent and affordable treatment.
Billions Released Through Basic Healthcare Fund
The Federal Government says substantial resources have been channelled into primary healthcare through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
In June 2026, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said ₦339 billion had been disbursed through the fund over 12 years, with ₦235 billion released during the previous three years.
The ministry also said more than 8,000 PHCs across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory were receiving quarterly direct facility financing. Another ₦32.8 billion was approved for disbursement to states to support primary healthcare, emergency medical services, health insurance and disease preparedness.
Those figures make the continued existence of thousands of non-functional PHCs in Nigeria a serious accountability issue.
Citizens deserve to know how much each facility received, what the money was spent on, who authorised the expenditure and whether the expected services were delivered.
It is not enough to announce the release of billions of naira. Government must publish measurable results showing improvements in staffing, opening hours, patient numbers, medicine availability, maternal services and emergency referrals.
What a Functional PHC Should Provide
A properly revitalised Level 2 PHC should contain more than renovated walls.
Standards highlighted by the NPHCDA include consulting rooms, delivery and labour wards, inpatient space, laboratory services, essential medicines, immunisation services and access to safe delivery care around the clock.
Such facilities should also have four to six skilled birth attendants, reliable electricity with solar backup, clean water, sanitation, staff accommodation and secure premises.
These standards provide a better basis for measuring non-functional PHCs in Nigeria than simply counting buildings.
A facility should not be presented as successfully revitalised when pregnant women cannot receive care at night, vaccines cannot be preserved because there is no electricity or essential drugs are repeatedly unavailable.
Government reports must distinguish between facilities that have been renovated, those receiving funds and those genuinely providing the minimum package of services.
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States Present Different Accounts
Some state governments insist that they have made significant progress.
Kano State said it had rehabilitated and equipped 320 PHCs in three years after inheriting 1,236 dilapidated health facilities in 2023. The government also announced plans to recruit about 7,000 health workers, including nurses and midwives.
Anambra State officials said the state had 441 PHCs supported by about 3,000 healthcare workers and that facilities were providing free antenatal, delivery and surgical services.
Cross River State said it had recruited more than 2,000 health professionals and ensured that each of its 196 political wards had at least one functional PHC, although doctors sometimes supervise several centres because of manpower shortages.
These claims should be independently verified.
The conflicting accounts surrounding non-functional PHCs in Nigeria demonstrate the need for one transparent national standard that states cannot redefine to suit political narratives.
Citizens should be able to use a public dashboard to see whether their nearest facility is open, adequately staffed and supplied with medicines.
Rural Communities Carry the Heaviest Burden
The failure of primary healthcare affects every Nigerian, but rural communities bear the greatest burden.
Residents in cities may have access to private hospitals, teaching hospitals and specialist clinics. Poor rural households often have no alternative when a community PHC stops functioning.
Pregnant women may travel for hours to reach skilled care. Children may miss routine vaccinations. Patients with malaria, tuberculosis or chronic conditions may delay treatment until their health deteriorates.
The failure of PHCs also places unnecessary pressure on general and teaching hospitals, which become overcrowded with conditions that should have been treated at the primary level.
Reducing the number of non-functional PHCs in Nigeria would therefore improve healthcare across the entire system.
Functional community facilities would detect illnesses earlier, support safer deliveries, prevent avoidable complications and reduce the cost of seeking treatment.
Accountability Must Follow Public Spending
Nigeria has repeatedly announced ambitious plans to improve primary healthcare.
In 2023, the country committed to revitalising 17,600 PHCs within four years. To improve monitoring, federal authorities deployed financial and performance officers across the 774 local government areas and introduced a public dashboard for tracking facilities.
These initiatives are important, but their success should be judged by patient experience rather than the number of announcements made.
Government must disclose contracts, completion certificates, facility-level disbursements and independent inspection reports.
State and local authorities should also be held responsible for recruiting workers, paying salaries, maintaining buildings and ensuring that medicines reach the intended facilities.
Where funds have been diverted, contracts abandoned or false completion claims submitted, the responsible officials and contractors should face investigation and prosecution.
Ogele News Perspective
The revelation that 6,516 PHCs remain non-functional is not merely another troubling statistic.
It represents thousands of communities where healthcare exists mainly in government documents, budget speeches and commissioning photographs.
Nigeria cannot build a dependable health system while the first point of care remains unreliable.
The Federal Government may provide intervention funds and national policies, but states and local governments must ensure that facilities remain open, staffed and equipped.
The challenge of non-functional PHCs in Nigeria requires a shift from political publicity to measurable service delivery.
Every revitalised centre should be independently inspected before it is declared functional. Its staffing list should be verified, its medicines checked and its opening hours confirmed through unannounced monitoring.
Community members must also have a safe channel for reporting closed facilities, absent workers, illegal charges or missing supplies.
Billions spent should produce healthier communities, not abandoned buildings.
Until Nigerians can enter their local PHCs and receive consistent treatment, government claims of healthcare renewal will remain difficult to reconcile with reality.
At least 6,516 Primary Healthcare Centres remain non-functional across Nigeria despite billions of naira spent on revitalisation and basic healthcare.
