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, trailing Delta State, which emerged first with 84.4 per cent, while Bayelsa State came third with 68.3 per cent.
Ekiti was among only three states that met the NGF’s 67 per cent benchmark for health budget implementation, highlighting its performance in budget execution and investment in healthcare delivery.
The report also placed Ekiti among the leading states in overall budget implementation, with a performance rating of 65 per cent during the period under review.
It disclosed that the 34 states collectively spent N1.15 trillion on healthcare in the first three quarters of 2026, while Ekiti allocated 5.1 per cent of its total budget to the health sector.
Reacting to the ranking, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Oyebanji Filani, attributed the achievement to sustained investments in healthcare by the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, particularly its commitment to human capital development.
Filani said the state’s performance was the result of deliberate government policies and consistent investment rather than coincidence.
He disclosed that the administration had renovated 110 primary healthcare centres across the state in the last four years to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare services at the grassroots.
He added that all secondary healthcare facilities in the state had undergone comprehensive rehabilitation and received modern medical equipment and drugs.
According to him, plans are also at an advanced stage to construct three additional secondary healthcare facilities at strategic locations across the state.
The commissioner said the interventions were aimed at strengthening the healthcare delivery system, expanding access to medical services and improving health outcomes for residents.
He further noted that Ekiti had recorded encouraging health indicators, including one of the highest life expectancies and some of the lowest neonatal and child mortality rates in the country.
Filani also disclosed that the Oyebanji administration had recruited about 1,800 healthcare professionals in the last four years, including doctors, nurses and other allied health workers, to address manpower shortages and improve service delivery across the state’s healthcare facilities.
