₦20m for Research, ₦100m for a Snake Hospital: Inside Nigeria’s snakebite budget

The tragic death of Ifunanya Nwangene, a 26-year-old singer who rose to national attention on The Voice Nigeria in 2021, has reignited public outrage over Nigeria’s inadequate response to the healthcare needs of its citizens, including treatment for snakebite, a preventable yet deadly public health threat.

Nwangene died two weeks ago in Abuja after visiting two hospitals that lacked antivenom, highlighting a chronic and systemic problem: Nigeria’s snakebite response is underfunded, poorly coordinated, and insufficient for the thousands of people affected each year.

According to the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), the country records around 20,000 snakebite cases annually, though some estimates suggest the number may be as high as 43,000.

These bites result in over 2,000 preventable deaths and leave roughly 1,700 people permanently disabled. Most victims live in rural areas — farmers, women, and children — who often face the longest delays in receiving treatment.

A Disconnect Between Funding and Need

Data from Nigeria’s 2025 federal budget analyzed by Pluboard reveals stark gaps:

– Just ₦20 million was allocated to research herbal antidotes from Nigerian plants

– ₦1 million was approved for promotion of herbal antidotes

– ₦100 million was earmarked for a snake hospital and supplies — a facility that is not known to be operational

– Only ₦132 million was allocated for purchase of 10,000 vials of antivenom, insufficient for a country of 230 million people with tens of thousands of bites each year

The 2024 budget had similar allocations, including ₦25 million for antivenom procurement and related surveys, ₦5 million for developing snakebite reporting software, and ₦10 million for finalizing case management guidelines.

“Stock-outs, delays, and what we call the referral trap are costing lives,” said Ambrose Eze, ACPN national chairman. “Any delay caused by cost, availability, or lack of trained personnel can be fatal.”

Eze said that Nigeria spends nearly $12 million annually importing antivenom –roughly the same amount required to establish a domestic production facility. “A local production facility could drastically reduce preventable deaths and ensure timely access, especially for rural communities,” he said.

Frontline Crisis

A 2026 report from the Strike Out Snakebite (SOS) initiative, surveying 904 healthcare workers in Nigeria and other high-burden countries, underscores the depth of the crisis:

– 50% of health facilities lack capacity to treat snakebites

– 98% of healthcare workers report major difficulties administering antivenom

– 35% face daily shortages

Delays in treatment, poor infrastructure, and inadequate training are key drivers of preventable deaths, amputations, and long-term disability. “Nigeria has 29 species of snakes, 41% of them venomous, yet access to treatment remains dangerously limited,” the report notes.

Globally, snakebite kills up to 138,000 people and leaves 400,000 with permanent disabilities, according to Elhadj As Sy, co-chair of the Global Snakebite Taskforce. “It is baffling that a preventable and treatable condition remains so underfunded and invisible to decision-makers,” Sy said.

Cost Barriers and Accountability

In sub-Saharan Africa, antivenoms range from $55 to $640 per vial, yet some require more than 20 vials to counter highly venomous snakes, according to Global Snakebite Initiative. For many Nigerian families, this cost, sometimes up to ₦40,000 per patient, is prohibitively expensive, forcing patients to seek traditional healers or herbal remedies instead.

Health advocates argue the crisis reflects broader systemic failures: weak local pharmaceutical investment, overstretched health infrastructure, and the absence of financial protections for vulnerable patients.

“The solutions exist,” Sy said. “What’s missing is sustained political will and investment to turn snakebite from a death sentence into a manageable medical emergency.”

With the public outrage over Nwangene’s death and clear evidence of funding gaps, experts are urging the Federal Government of Nigeria to declare snakebite envenoming a National Health Priority, classify it as a Neglected Tropical Disease, and include antivenom treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme.