Reps urge Tinubu to channel fuel subsidy savings to healthcare

The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged President Bola Tinubu to allocate part of the money saved by the Federal Government following the removal of fuel subsidy on healthcare.

This followed the adoption of a motion titled: “Call on the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to cover vulnerable Nigerians,” presented by the lawmaker from Lagos, Bashiru Dawodu, at the plenary in Abuja.

Dawodu, who led the debate on the matter, argued that socio-economic development was not achievable without access to quality and affordable healthcare services by Nigerians.

He said the World Health Assembly in 2005 adopted universal health coverage as part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) Agenda 2030.

The lawmaker lamented that 18 years after, only five million Nigerians have been enrolled by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

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He pointed out that 83 million vulnerable Nigerians, including pregnant women and children under five, persons with special needs, and the elderly were not captured by the NHIS.

Dawodu said: “Health care crisis will not be resolved without universal health care coverage which cannot be achieved without meeting the target of the National Health Insurance.

“The NHIA Act of 2022 mandated health insurance for all citizens and legal residents which had failed. In 2022, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) spent N.4 trillion on fuel subsidy and N3.6 trillion in six months of 2023.”

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