Reps Push to Ban Public Servants from Using Private Schools, Hospitals: A Bold Move to Revive Public Institutions

Hon. Amobi Ogah addresses the press after presenting a transformative bill to reform Nigeria’s public education and healthcare systems.

In a groundbreaking legislative move that could reshape the face of Nigeria’s public service delivery, the House of Representatives has taken the first step towards banning public servants and their immediate family members from patronizing private schools and healthcare facilities. The proposed law, titled the “Private Institutions and Health Care Service Providers (Prohibition) Bill, 2025,” is set to stir national debate and potentially usher in a new era of accountability, public sector revival, and patriotic governance. This bold initiative, sponsored by Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, who represents the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in Abia State, has been described as a “turning point in the history of our nation.” According to Ogah, the bill seeks to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s neglected public institutions by compelling public officials to experience and improve the services they oversee.

For decades, Nigerians have watched in dismay as public officials, tasked with overseeing the development of education and healthcare, opted instead for private or foreign alternatives, even as local institutions withered under neglect. Ogah’s bill is an attempt to break this cycle of hypocrisy and abandonment. Speaking at a press conference shortly after the bill passed its first reading, Hon. Ogah explained that the essence of the legislation is to eliminate the growing conflict of interest among public office holders, many of whom have little or no incentive to improve public services because they personally do not rely on them.

“This Bill intends to prohibit all public and civil servants, including their immediate family members, from patronizing private schools and healthcare services in order to avoid conflict of interest, maintain public trust, and ensure high, uncompromised standards and integrity of these public institutions,” Ogah said emphatically.

In making his case, Hon. Ogah invoked the legacy of Nigeria’s founding fathers, visionaries like Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, who were all educated in public or mission schools. These leaders believed in building strong public institutions that served all Nigerians, not just a privileged few. Ogah lamented the erosion of that legacy in today’s political climate, where elites, especially those in government, prefer private and foreign options, thereby deepening the divide between themselves and the people they serve.

“The penchant for patronizing private educational institutions and healthcare services was alien to our democrats of old. Today, it has become an unwholesome trend for public and civil servants to seek private educational institutions and medical care for themselves and their family members, to the detriment of our country,” Ogah added.

The lawmaker buttressed his argument with hard-hitting statistics. Despite the Nigerian government allocating a hefty ₦1.336 trillion to the healthcare sector in the 2024 national budget, Nigerians still spend over $1 billion annually on foreign medical treatment. That figure reflects a troubling disconnect between budgetary allocations and the reality on the ground. Even more startling, under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians reportedly spent at least $29.29 billion on medical trips abroad within an eight-year span. Similarly, between January and March 2024 alone, $38.17 million was spent on foreign education. In 2023, that number reached $218.87 million. These figures point to a deeply embedded culture of "medical and educational tourism" that not only drains the economy but also undercuts the development of Nigeria’s own institutions.

Ogah made a striking comparison: if the Nigerian government can take bold decisions like removing petroleum subsidies despite public outcry, then it must also be courageous enough to implement policies that improve long-term service delivery, such as the proposed ban.

“If we have started the removal of petroleum subsidy, we must also enforce this Bill to prohibit the patronizing of private schools and health care services by public and civil servants,” he asserted.

The implication here is clear: true reform must be holistic. If Nigerians are being asked to make sacrifices, then those in leadership must lead by example.

Ogah’s bill highlights a reality many Nigerians are all too familiar with: the slow decay of public institutions. From under-equipped primary schools to crumbling hospitals without essential drugs or personnel, public services have been reduced to a shadow of their former selves. This deterioration is no coincidence. It is the direct result of neglect, fueled by elite abandonment. Why fix what you don’t use? Why invest in what your children will never experience?

According to Ogah, “The continuous neglect of public institutions due to elite preference for private alternatives has led to ‘a shadow of their former selves, with little or no infrastructural development and fallen standards of services.’”

Perhaps one of the most embarrassing trends in Nigerian governance is the frequent medical tourism of top officials, including sitting and past presidents. Rather than trust the system they are meant to improve, many travel abroad for routine procedures and critical treatment, further highlighting the lack of faith in Nigerian facilities.

“It does not speak well of our country that our presidents and notable government functionaries are seen to be going abroad for medical treatment—and even dying in the process,” Ogah stated bluntly.

This behavior erodes national pride, discourages local investment in public institutions, and sends a damaging message to ordinary Nigerians: public facilities are not good enough, even for the people who fund them.
While the bill is still in its early stages, here are some of the key takeaways from its content:
Total Ban: All public and civil servants, as well as their immediate families, would be banned from accessing private schools and healthcare institutions.
Scope: The law would apply to local, state, and federal government employees
Objective: The primary goal is to increase trust and quality in public institutions by making government officials directly dependent on them.
Enforcement: The implementation mechanism has not been fully disclosed, but it is expected to involve oversight agencies and public accountability structures.

If passed into law and effectively implemented, this bill could become one of the most transformative policies in recent Nigerian history. It could:
Force Improvement: Public officials will now have a vested interest in improving facilities they and their families must use.
Promote Equity: The bill could help reduce the gap between the ruling class and ordinary Nigerians.
Strengthen National Pride: By investing in and using Nigerian schools and hospitals, leaders can help rebuild trust in these institutions.
Curb Capital Flight: Billions spent abroad could be redirected into local infrastructure and services.
Inspire Civic Engagement: Citizens will have more reason to demand better services if they know their leaders are also affected.
Ogah has not minced words in calling for nationwide support. He urged journalists, bloggers, civil society organizations, students, and healthcare professionals to back the bill and push for its speedy passage.

“I therefore call on Nigerians and indeed the Fourth Estate of the Realm to join me in supporting this Bill and begin a new consciousness of promoting our health care and educational institutions,” Ogah said.

To galvanize support, Ogah introduced a social media campaign hashtag:
#PromoteOurSchoolsAndHealthcareServices
#PrivateInstitutionsAndHealthcareServicesProvidersProhibitionBill2025
This call to action represents an opportunity for every Nigerian to get involved and advocate for a better future.
As progressive and patriotic as this bill sounds, it is bound to face resistance from various quarters, especially from the same elites it seeks to hold accountable. Lobbying, political maneuvering, and bureaucratic bottlenecks may slow its passage or water down its impact.
However, history has shown that with enough public pressure and consistent advocacy, even the most unpopular reforms can become law.
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The “Private Institutions and Health Care Service Providers (Prohibition) Bill, 2025” may have only passed its first reading, but it has already ignited an important national conversation. At its heart lies a simple yet profound truth: you cannot fix what you’ve abandoned. If Nigerian public servants are forced to rely on the same schools and hospitals as the average citizen, it will no longer be acceptable for these institutions to remain in decay. For too long, Nigeria’s leadership class has shielded itself from the consequences of its policies. This bill seeks to end that era and begin a new chapter of shared responsibility, national pride, and meaningful reform.
Let the conversation begin. Let the campaign rise. And let every Nigerian join the call to #PromoteOurSchoolsAndHealthcareServices.

By PrimeLineInfo