The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into the management of more than $4.6 billion in international health grants received by Nigeria from the Global Fund and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) between 2021 and 2025.
The funds, meant to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and polio, as well as strengthen health systems, have come under scrutiny following concerns about poor health outcomes despite huge donor support.
The resolution followed a motion moved on Tuesday by Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, who decried the lack of transparency and accountability in the handling of the funds, warning that billions of dollars in aid have failed to yield visible impact.
Ogah revealed that Nigeria received about $1.8 billion from the Global Fund between 2021 and 2024 to support disease control and implement the Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health (RSSH) project, while USAID provided over $2.8 billion within the same period.
He noted that the U.S. government, through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has contributed more than $6 billion to Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS response since inception, yet the country remains among the worst-hit globally.
According to him, Nigeria recorded 51,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2023 15,000 of them children under 14 and still accounts for 26.6 percent of global malaria cases, 31 percent of malaria deaths, and ranks first in Africa for TB burden.
“These figures are troubling,” Ogah said. “Despite the billions of dollars in international aid, Nigeria continues to lose lives to preventable diseases. It is imperative that we evaluate how these funds are being utilized.”
Following debate, the House mandated its Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Control to investigate the disbursement and utilization of the funds from 2021 to 2025 and report back within four weeks.
Lawmakers stressed that effective oversight of donor funds is vital to ensuring transparency, accountability, and measurable impact in Nigeria’s health sector, especially in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of ending HIV, TB, and malaria by 2030.
