COURT GRANTS COCTA LEAVE TO SEEK JUDICIAL REVIEW OVER EDO’S ₦11.3 BILLION PRIMARY HEALTHCARE AND RURAL WATER FUNDING
By Aluta News
OCTOBER 26, 2026
Hon. Justice Peter Akhimie Akhihiero of the High Court of Edo State has granted the Conference of Civil Society on Accountability and Transparency (COCTA) leave to seek judicial review to hold the government accountable for public funds appropriated for primary healthcare and rural water supply in Edo State.
The proceedings involve COCTA as the plaintiff, with the Edo State Commissioner for Finance and the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning as respondents. The action arises from concerns over the allocation, release, expenditure, and implementation of public funds earmarked for healthcare and rural water infrastructure in the State.
The State appropriated approximately ₦11.301 billion to the Edo State Primary Health Care Agency for the 2026 financial year. COCTA is seeking information on how the funds were allocated across projects, the amounts released, the contractors engaged, the project locations, and their implementation status.
The action also raises questions concerning the Small Town and Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (STRWSSA). Edo State’s 2025 budget documentation reportedly recorded a final budget of approximately ₦1.043 billion. COCTA seeks documentary explanations for the reported figures, along with corresponding appropriation, release, and expenditure records for 2026.
The organization is also seeking information on government-funded boreholes, solar-powered water systems, motorized water schemes, water-treatment facilities, and primary healthcare centers, including project inspection reports, completion certificates, and monitoring records.
The case raises a fundamental question for the public institutions responsible for managing Edo State’s finances: how can citizens assess the delivery of healthcare and rural water infrastructure without access to records showing how public money was allocated and spent?
For rural communities, the implications extend beyond budget figures. They concern access to functioning health facilities, safe water, improved living conditions and the infrastructure necessary for local economic development.
Commenting on the matter, COCTA’s representative, Com. Onlede Japhet, said the organization’s intervention was intended to strengthen public accountability and establish a verifiable record of government spending.
According to the counsel to the applicant- Mr. Emmanuel Ozunowe, Esq of FOI Counsel, “Public budgets must translate into measurable public benefits. Where substantial sums are appropriated for healthcare and rural water supply, citizens have a legitimate interest in knowing what was released, what was spent, which projects were delivered and whether those projects meet the needs of the communities they were intended to serve.”
The organization maintains that access to public records is essential to meaningful civic oversight. It seeks to establish the facts through official documentation and the judicial process, rather than rely on assumptions about the use of public funds.
With the hearing scheduled for 15 December 2026, the case puts transparency in healthcare and rural water spending firmly on Edo State’s accountability agenda, especially for communities waiting for functional health centers and reliable sources of clean water.
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