Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nearly all the 1,480 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) assessed across 16 Nigerian states failed to meet the national minimum staffing requirement, exposing major gaps in the country’s ability to deliver essential frontline healthcare.
The finding is contained in the PHC Operational Capability Report produced by Orodata Science and Civic Tech after assessing facilities across 277 Local Government Areas in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The assessment, conducted between October 2023 and June 2025, examined staffing, infrastructure, equipment, electricity, water supply and accessibility using the CheckMyPHC Digital Scorecard.
Only three per cent of the facilities assessed met the national minimum staffing requirement, while 11 of the 16 states had no assessed PHC that met the standard.
The staffing shortage is particularly concerning because about 75 per cent of the assessed facilities are located in rural communities.
In many of these areas, PHCs serve as the first and, in some cases, only formal source of healthcare for residents.
The proposed workforce includes a community health officer, public health nurse, three community health extension workers, six junior community health extension workers and four nurses or midwives. A medical assistant is listed as optional.
About 40 per cent of the PHCs assessed had broken ceilings or leaking roofs, while 38 per cent operated without electricity.
Three out of every four facilities assessed — 75 per cent — lacked essential neonatal resuscitation equipment.
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Korede Abdullah 
Oluwatobi Adu