In a groundbreaking legislative move aimed at revamping Nigeria’s ailing public education and healthcare systems, the House of Representatives has introduced a bill that could bar all public and civil servants from patronising private schools and hospitals.
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 formally presented on the floor of the House on Tuesday.
Its sponsor, Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, while addressing journalists at the National Assembly, said the bill is a bold effort to reverse the systematic decay of Nigeria’s public institutions by compelling government workers—especially those in leadership positions—to lead by example.
> “This bill seeks to prohibit all public and civil servants, including their immediate family members, from patronising private schools and healthcare services. The goal is to eliminate conflict of interest, restore public trust, and enforce accountability and commitment to the very institutions they oversee,” Ogah declared.
According to the lawmaker, the flight of government officials from public hospitals and schools has been a major contributor to their neglect, deterioration, and underfunding. “When those entrusted with managing our public sectors don’t use them, they have no incentive to improve them,” he said.
Ogah passionately cited Nigeria’s founding fathers—Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and Sir Tafawa Balewa—who all thrived as products of public institutions. “Today, the reverse is the case. Government officials abandon our public systems while spending taxpayers’ money on luxury care and foreign education,” he lamented.
He revealed shocking figures: Over $29.29 billion was spent on medical tourism during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, while Nigerians splurged more than $218.87 million on foreign education in 2023 alone. In contrast, only N1.336 trillion was allocated to healthcare in the 2024 national budget, a figure that pales in comparison to the estimated N1.6 trillion Nigerians spend annually on overseas medical treatment.
Ogah argued that just as the Federal Government scrapped fuel subsidies, it must now move to eliminate the “subsidy of hypocrisy” by enforcing this bill.
> “Our leaders must have the courage to rebuild the very systems they expect ordinary Nigerians to rely on. We cannot ask the people to trust schools and hospitals that we, the leaders, would never dare to use ourselves,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that this reform, if passed and enforced, could mark a turning point for Nigeria’s public sector. He believes it would inspire a national renaissance where public schools and hospitals are not seen as alternatives for the poor, but as centres of excellence for all.
He also called on the Nigerian media and civil society to rally behind the bill as a patriotic duty. “This is not just legislation. It is a wake-up call for national consciousness. We must take our institutions back and make them work for all Nigerians,” he stated.
As public reactions begin to pour in, the bill has already ignited debate across political and civic spaces, with many seeing it as a long-overdue reckoning for Nigeria’s political elite.
Whether it gains the necessary support to become law remains to be seen, but one thing is clear—Hon. Amobi Ogah has thrown a legislative gauntlet that could shake the foundation of privilege and complacency within Nigeria’s public service.
PIONEER NEWS 