Nine Nigerian States Commit 15% of Budgets to Health as Eye Care Initiative Expands

Nigeria is making strides toward the Abuja Declaration target of dedicating 15% of government spending to health. In the 2026 appropriation bills, nine states – Abia, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, Kwara, Nasarawa, Oyo and Taraba – allocated at least 15% of their budgets to healthcare. This marks progress compared with previous years and highlights growing political commitment to improving hospitals, clinics and health personnel. However, the federal government’s share remains around 4.2% of its N58.47 trillion budget, prompting calls for greater investment in equipment, infrastructure and workforce training to meet citizens’ needs.

Beyond budgets, Nigeria is advancing eye health. The Presidential Eye Health Initiative, known as Jigi Bola 2.0, has expanded to 21 states with a goal of providing reading glasses to another one million Nigerians by 2026. The programme has already screened 1.5 million people and distributed 1.3 million free glasses while training primary healthcare workers to deliver basic vision services. Organisers say integrating eye care into primary healthcare could boost productivity and quality of life; more than half of recipients so far are women, underscoring the initiative’s focus on inclusion and gender equity. The initiative plans to reach five million people nationwide by 2027, demonstrating how targeted programmes can complement broader health financing reforms.