Data organisations begin tracking govt. spending on 300 PHCs
Orodata Science, in partnership with the Africa Data Hub (ADH), has commenced a new phase of its initiative to track government spending on 300 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across Nigeria.
The organisation says the project is being undertaken under a mandate from the Federal Government, following claims of PHC revitalisation and upgrades through relevant government health agencies.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Programmes Manager, Orodata Science, Mr Uche Oti, and made available to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.
Orodata Science is a civic technology organisation that uses data, technology, research and journalism to promote transparency, civic engagement and public accountability across Africa.
Oti said the initiative sought to move beyond government budget allocations and official documents to establish whether revitalised and upgraded PHCs existed.
He said also that it sought to establish whether the PHCs functioned effectively and served the communities for which funds were allocated.
Oti said that the latest phase would combine field verification, community engagement, investigative journalism and public data reporting.
‘’The initiative builds on Orodata Science’s earlier work on primary healthcare data and accountability across Nigeria, ‘’ he said.
‘’In 2023, the organisation commenced a multi-state health data collection project aimed at building a reliable repository of PHC information and supporting evidence-based healthcare planning and reporting.
The initiative subsequently produced the MyPHC Report 2024, an assessment of 345 PHCs across the six states, highlighting infrastructure, service delivery and other deficiencies affecting primary healthcare.
“The report was designed to provide policymakers, journalists, health institutions and communities with evidence on the actual condition of PHCs and the gaps requiring intervention,” he said.
The programmes manager said that Orodata had also used the PHC data to support investigative journalism and newsroom capacity building.
He said that the organisation in 2025, working with ADH, trained health desks of selected newsrooms in data journalism, fact-checking, data visualisation and solutions journalism.
He said that the programme culminated in the release of a PHC Energy Report examining the challenges of electricity supply in primary healthcare facilities.
Oti said that the new phase would now focus specifically on tracking government funding and comparing official records with conditions on the ground.
He said specialised training had been completed for community data collectors and investigative journalists who would participate in the field operations.
According to him, frontline data collection teams are expected to visit over 300 PHCs across Nigeria between August and October 2026.
“The teams will collect geo-referenced data, assess physical infrastructure, examine equipment availability and verify the presence of health workers.
“The exercise will also involve direct engagement with communities and local leaders to document their experiences in accessing healthcare services and the impact of the facilities,” he said.
According to him, the raw data will be cleaned and validated before being published on the ADH portal and integrated into the CheckMyPHC platform.
“Investigative journalists will use the findings to produce detailed reports, supported by field observations, data analysis and interactive dashboards.
‘’The findings will also form the basis of a public town hall meeting scheduled for October.
“The meeting is expected to bring together government officials, community leaders, health experts and citizens to discuss the findings, accountability and possible solutions,” he said.
Oti said that the latest exercise was intended to establish what was happening beyond government figures and documents.
“We are moving beyond figures on paper to look at the reality on the ground,” Oti said.
He said matching government budgets and tender documents with conditions at PHCs would empower citizens, journalists and policymakers with evidence to demand improved healthcare delivery.
He said PHCs remained critical to healthcare delivery, particularly for communities in rural and underserved areas.
Oti said the continued allocation of public funds to upgrade such facilities made it necessary to establish whether the resources were translating into functional infrastructure and improved services.
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