Yobe security spending drawing funding away from other sectors, study finds

Despite countless humanitarian organizations working in the north-east of Nigeria, a lot of gaps still exist in meeting the emergency needs of the region, a study suggests.

The study, named “Applied Political Economy Analysis”, analysed the emergency response ecosystem in the region, with particular focus on the health sector service delivery in Yobe over 10 years.

The 10 years coincide with the period of ongoing insurgency, which has affected all but three local government areas of the state.

“What the study is talking about is…unlock the potentials in terms of health funds and then have absorptive capacity to spend those resources,” said Mohammed Bawa, a consultant who was part of the study.

“And that is the only time it will make any meaningful contribution to the health system.”

“If resources are allocated to you, people should see that you have demonstrated evidence to show you have spent the money given to you. If the money is lying idle, whether on paper or in coffers, it is still unspent. Nobody understands the kind of excuses you are giving provided your budget is showing it is not spent.”

Findings from the study have been disseminated to humanitarian organisations and civil society groups working in Yobe.

“The study reflects the true situation of the health sector in Yobe,” said Baba Shehu, of Network of Yobe State Civil Society Organisations.

“We are in a crisis situation for over 10 years. A lot of our budget goes into security financing at the detriment of other sectors.”

The study indicates measures to improve “absorptive capacity”—the ability to conclusively utilize the budget.

“It is impossible, because of the crisis,” said Alikime Dauda, executive director of Yobe State Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS.

“There are conflicting demands in terms of budget. Only 51% of health budget was accessed and utilized. And even if the money was there, most of the budgetary provision went to security for the first 10 years.”

Discourse about the findings indicate health is still “significantly underfunded”, and that despite the numerous humanitarians actors working in Yobe, they are still not enough to meet the needs, said Jemeh Pius, director of programmes at Pact West Africa, which commissioned the study.

“There’s really a need for greater awareness of the issue from starting point, even to see how additional funds could be budgeted for health as well as what others could do to contribute to the [emergency] response,” Pius said.

Mukhtar Muhammad, who represented Senate President Ahmed Lawan at the dissemination, spoke of closing gaps in “leadership and governance—in how our government works and how donors work”.

Without that, he said, “We will continue to do budgets that don’t make sense and allocate money that doesn’t get spent.”