In a bold move to revive Nigeria’s struggling public institutions, the House of Representatives has proposed a bill seeking to ban public and civil servants from using private schools and healthcare facilities.
The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Prohibit Public and Civil Servants from Patronising Private Schools and Health Care Services and for Related Matters (HB 2487),” was introduced on Tuesday by Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah.
Addressing journalists at the National Assembly, Ogah said the bill is intended to restore confidence in public education and health sectors, which have suffered years of neglect. He argued that if public officials and their families are mandated to use government facilities, the long-overdue reforms in these sectors would become a necessity, not a choice.
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“Our founding fathers (Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo) were products of public schools,” Ogah noted. “Today, most public officials abandon public hospitals and schools for private and foreign options, which deepens the rot.”
Ogah highlighted alarming figures: Nigerians reportedly spent over $29 billion on foreign medical treatment during President Buhari’s tenure and over $218 million on foreign education in 2023 alone. Meanwhile, just N1.336 trillion was allocated to healthcare in the 2024 national budget.
He described the bill as a strategic step to combat capital flight, improve infrastructure, and restore the dignity of public institutions. “If we have removed petroleum subsidies, we must also redirect our priorities by enforcing this bill,” he said.
The lawmaker called on Nigerians, especially the media, to rally behind the bill as part of a broader push for national renewal and institutional integrity.
