In the wake of MonITNG’s recent alarm over the state of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in Niger State, one truth stands out: the government isn’t listening — and perhaps, it doesn’t intend to.

Governor Umar Bago’s administration seems more invested in building new health centres than fixing the ones we already have. According to MonITNG, 80–90% of Niger State’s 1,322 PHCs are in deplorable condition. Ceilings collapse, walls crack, drugs are absent, staff are missing — and yet, the government’s response is to add more buildings to the pile.

Why? Because these new projects serve political optics, not public health.

I call them butterfly projects — bright, beautiful, fleeting. These initiatives are not rooted in sustainability or impact. Like butterflies, they flutter for a while, win applause, and disappear with the next administration.

They are designed to be seen, not to last.

There is a dangerous obsession with “newness” in Nigerian governance. Leaders often prefer launching new buildings, roads, or programs that can carry plaques and photo ops — rather than rolling up their sleeves to fix the mess left behind. Rehabilitation doesn’t come with the same headlines. But that’s where real leadership lies.

In the case of Niger State, building 20, or even 100 new PHCs, while the existing 1,322 are falling apart, is not just poor planning — it’s governance theatre.

Let’s ask the hard questions:

Who will staff these new PHCs when existing ones are already short on doctors and nurses?

Who will equip them when current centres lack even beds or basic supplies?

Will they be maintained, or abandoned like the rest once the ribbon is cut and the cameras are gone?

These are not rhetorical questions — they’re life-and-death matters for thousands of citizens.

MonITNG rightly pointed to Kano State’s model, where the government chose to renovate and upgrade existing PHCs instead of spreading resources thin with new construction. That is what strategic, people-centered governance looks like.

Unfortunately, Governor Bago seems unmoved by such examples. Why? Because butterfly projects are easier to defend. They give the illusion of action. They beautify budgets. They decorate campaign speeches. But in reality, they sacrifice sustainability for showmanship.

If the governor truly cares about the people of Niger State, then the solution is simple: fix what is broken before building what is new.

The health of our citizens cannot rest on structures that are pretty on the outside but hollow within. The people deserve functioning hospitals, not photo-friendly ruins.

Until this administration abandons butterfly projects and embraces real, uncomfortable, unglamorous reform, Niger State’s healthcare system will remain what it is today — a broken mirror reflecting failed priorities.