Ekiti State has ranked second among 34 states assessed in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Health Budget Performance Implementation Report for the first three quarters of 2026.
The state scored 82.2 per cent, coming behind Delta State, which led with 84.4 per cent, while Bayelsa ranked third with 68.3 per cent.
Ekiti was also among only three states that met the NGF’s 67 per cent benchmark for health budget performance, highlighting its commitment to healthcare investment and effective budget implementation.
The report further placed Ekiti among the leading states in overall budget implementation, with a performance rating of 65 per cent.
It indicated that the 34 states collectively spent N1.15 trillion on healthcare during the period, while Ekiti allocated 5.1 per cent of its total budget to the sector.
Reacting to the rating, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Oyebanji Filani, attributed the achievement to sustained investments in the health sector by Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration.
Filani said the ranking reflected deliberate government policies, particularly under the administration’s Human Capital Development agenda.
He disclosed that the government had renovated 110 primary healthcare centres across the state in the last four years to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare at the grassroots.
According to him, all secondary healthcare facilities in the state have also undergone comprehensive rehabilitation and received modern medical equipment and drugs.
He added that plans were at an advanced stage to construct three additional secondary healthcare facilities in strategic locations across the state.
The commissioner said the interventions were aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery, expanding access to medical services and improving health outcomes.
He also highlighted Ekiti’s encouraging health indicators, including one of the country’s highest life expectancies and among the lowest neonatal and child mortality rates.
Filani further disclosed that the Oyebanji administration had recruited about 1,800 health professionals in four years, including doctors, nurses and other allied health workers, to strengthen manpower and improve service delivery across the state’s healthcare system.
