KEY POINTS

• Ezeagu received ₦7.35bn in FAAC allocations in 2024 and 2025, residents say.
• Residents allege many PHCs across the 20 wards remain dysfunctional.
• They demand functional PHCs within six months and greater transparency over healthcare funds.

Residents of Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State have called for an investigation into how billions of naira received by the council in federal allocations were spent, citing the poor condition of primary healthcare facilities across the area.

The residents are particularly concerned that several Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the local government’s 20 wards remain dysfunctional despite the council receiving a combined ₦7.35 billion in Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds between 2024 and 2025.

The demand was contained in an open letter dated September 1, 2026, written by Omeli Darlington, who represents Ward 1, Imezi Olo and surrounding communities.

The letter was addressed to the Executive Chairman and Legislative Council of Ezeagu Local Government Area.

Darlington alleged that many of the PHCs serving communities across the 20 wards are either not functioning or lack the basic resources required to provide healthcare.

According to him, some of the facilities reportedly have inadequate supplies of medicines, insufficient personnel, poor access to water and unreliable electricity.

He argued that the situation was difficult to justify given the level of federal funding received by the local government in recent years.

Darlington said public records showed that Ezeagu Local Government received approximately ₦2.9 billion in FAAC allocations in 2024 and another ₦4.45 billion in 2025.

Together, the allocations amounted to about ₦7.35 billion over the two-year period.

He questioned why such substantial funding had not resulted in significant improvements in primary healthcare delivery across the local government.

“Yet today, many PHCs in our 20 wards are not functional. No drugs. No staff. No water. No light. Our mothers, children and elderly are suffering despite these billions,” he said.

The residents are therefore demanding greater transparency over how council resources earmarked for primary healthcare have been utilised.

Residents Invoke Constitutional Responsibilities

Darlington based the demand on Section 7(5) and the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, which he said provide a basis for local government responsibilities in primary healthcare and the oversight role of the legislative council.

He said the residents would formally petition the Executive Chairman and Legislative Council over what they described as the deteriorating state of healthcare facilities in Ezeagu.

The petition is expected to seek clarification on the council’s spending, particularly funds intended for primary healthcare development and related programmes.

The residents have outlined specific demands, including the immediate rehabilitation and activation of PHCs across all 20 wards.

They want the facilities equipped with qualified healthcare workers, essential medicines and necessary equipment to enable them to provide basic services to residents.

They are also demanding that the council publish a progress report on the state of primary healthcare in Ezeagu within three months, with November 30, 2026, set as the proposed deadline.

The residents further want all PHCs in the local government to become fully functional within six months, by February 28, 2027.

They are also seeking transparency over healthcare-related funds, including FAAC allocations and resources from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

Darlington stressed that the demand was not intended as a personal attack on any government official or council administration.

Rather, he described it as a call for accountability and improved public services.

“This is not an attack on any person or office. It is a constitutional demand for accountability and good governance. A healthy Ezeagu is a productive Ezeagu,” he said.

He warned that residents would continue to monitor the council’s response and implementation of the demands.

The residents maintain that access to functioning primary healthcare should be a priority, particularly for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children and elderly people.

“We will be watching. Ezeagu people deserve better,” Darlington added.