Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Photographs obtained by SaharaReporters have exposed the deplorable condition of the Jambutu Clinic in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State, where patients are reportedly being admitted in a dilapidated and unhygienic mud building with mud walls and a roof supported by wooden poles. In one of the photographs, a male patient is seen lying on a bed inside a room with visibly poor sanitary conditions, while an intravenous drip attached to him hangs from a wooden structure supporting the roof. The IV drip appears to have been suspended from one of the wooden poles holding up the building's roof rather than from a proper medical stand designed for administering intravenous fluids.
The condition of the facility raises serious concerns about the suitability of the clinic for admitting and treating patients, particularly the need for healthcare environments to meet basic standards of cleanliness, safety and hygiene. Jambutu Clinic serves residents of Jambutu and surrounding communities in Lau Local Government Area, where access to adequately equipped healthcare facilities remains a concern for residents. The photographs obtained by SaharaReporters show a healthcare environment that falls far short of the conditions ordinarily expected in a facility where patients are admitted for medical treatment.
The situation is not isolated. On September 24, 2026, SaharaReporters reported that residents of Nyaja Ward in Yorro Local Government Area were crying out over the deplorable state of their only health clinic, which is a mud hut with a thatched roof. Pictures sent to SaharaReporters by concerned citizens showed a round mud hut with a leaking thatched roof, cracked earthen walls and a small concrete step as entrance. Inside, there is only one old wooden table, two plastic chairs and one rusty iron hospital bed lying on a bare cement floor. No drugs, no laboratory, no staff, no electricity. Residents said the hut becomes a death trap at night as there is no light, no water and no security, with women in labour forced to give birth with phone torchlights. "One wooden table. A grass-thatched roof. If a woman goes into labour here at midnight, if a child is rushed in with a snakebite, or if an accident victim is brought here, is this the healthcare our people deserve in 2026?" one resident asked.
The situation at Jibu Hospital in Wukari Local Government Area is equally grim. Patients receiving treatment there have been left to endure deplorable conditions, with photographs showing patients lying on mats inside the health facility while several parts of the hospital are in a dilapidated state. One photograph showed a woman lying on a mat while receiving treatment instead of being accommodated on a hospital bed. The situation at Jibu Hospital is particularly notable because Wukari is Governor Agbu Kefas' local government area, while his administration has recently approved a reported N80 billion for the construction of a flyover in the area.
A review of Taraba State budget performance documents by SaharaReporters showed that N2.6 billion was budgeted for capital expenditure by the Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA) in 2026. However, as of the half-year period of 2026, none of the N2.6 billion capital allocation had been spent, according to the budget performance documents reviewed by SaharaReporters. The latest photographs from Jambutu Clinic therefore add to concerns about the condition of healthcare infrastructure across parts of the state, particularly at the primary healthcare level, despite the allocation of funds for capital development.
The outrage comes amid heated controversy over Governor Kefas' proposed N80 billion Wukari flyover project. In January 2026, Governor Kefas flagged off road and bridge projects valued at over N134 billion in the southern zone of the state, including the N85.9 billion Takum flyover bridge, dual carriageway, interchange and internal roads in Wukari. The project has faced fierce criticism from stakeholders who described it as a "white elephant project and a misplaced priority". In an open appeal to the governor, critics argued that the project deserves rigorous assessment, noting that Wukari does not have the kind of traffic congestion to justify it. "If the proposed N80 billion were redirected to the health sector, for instance, the government could establish and equip a modern specialist hospital in Wukari capable of serving not only Wukari but also neighbouring communities," the appeal stated.
Just weeks ago, the Concerned Taraba Citizens listed 42 unfulfilled promises against Governor Kefas, including the Wukari Specialist Hospital, rural roads and renovation of public schools, ahead of the 2027 governorship election. SaharaReporters has in the past year documented how Primary Health Centres across Taraba have been overrun by weeds and reptiles, with buildings taken over by snakes, lizards and rats as locals who once relied on them are forced to travel long distances or rely on herbal medicine. In June 2026, health workers raised the alarm over the crumbling Lau First Referral Hospital, commissioned two decades ago, which is now in a state of disrepair, while the Taraba State Specialist Hospital, the state's flagship tertiary health institution, has also faced criticism over its condition.
The pattern is consistent. In La'apo community in Zing Local Government Area, residents continue to groan over a dilapidated hospital they rely upon for their healthcare delivery. On a visit to the community, one sees a dilapidated mud house that has a resemblance to a goat pen serving as a Primary Healthcare Centre. Despite community members coming together to build a healthcare centre, the Taraba State government has since refused to deploy health workers and provide drugs in the facility. A nurse in one of the public hospitals in Jalingo described the state of primary healthcare in the state as deplorable. "Apart from the deplorable condition of hospitals in Taraba State, as a nurse, there are many community primary healthcare centres in the rural communities without health workers and equipment," she said.
The Taraba State Government has not issued an official response to the latest photographs from Jambutu Clinic or the broader concerns about the state of primary healthcare infrastructure. The government has also not commented on why the N2.6 billion allocated for capital expenditure by the PHCDA in 2026 had not been spent as of the half-year period. For the residents of Jambutu, Nyaja, Jibu, La'apo, and countless other communities across Taraba State, the question is not whether the government has a plan to fix healthcare. It is whether the government cares enough to prioritise it over projects that serve political interests rather than public need. Until that question is answered, patients will continue to be treated in mud buildings, IV drips will continue to hang from wooden poles, and women in labour will continue to give birth by the light of a phone torch.
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