From: Kemi Yesufu and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services, on Wednesday, queried the Executive-Secretary of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), Faisal Shuaib, over what they described as his unsatisfactory explanation on the implementation of the N17 billion, 2016 budget of the agency.
Some of the sub-heads queried by lawmakers include: N9,807,369,130.42 released out of N9,821,331,311 appropriated for Polio eradication intervention, including Oral Polio Vaccine-Devices procurement and N813,225,402.67 released for Midwives Services Scheme out of the N1,061,256,144 appropriated.
Others are the: N760,816,419.55 for traditional vaccines and devices procurement including freight and handling charges; N618,789,267.38 spent on construction/rehabilitation/renovation of Primary Healthcare Centres and supply of drugs and medical equipment for the year 2016.
Following a motion moved by Henry Nwawuba, which was unanimously adopted by members, Chairman of the committee, Chike Okafor, stepped down consideration of the 2016 budget appraisal and the 2017 budget defence of the agency.
Nwanwuba expressed dismay that the NPHDA management failed to provide necessary information on most of the agency’s activities to the committee including the sensitisation on special vaccination days slated for February and March 2017.
In his intervention, Okafor observed that the agency has been fully operational, despite the recent change in leadership and should therefore have come with a a detailed presentation.
“There was never a time the NPHCDA stopped working because there wasn’t an Executive-Director”, he said.
The lawmaker in his ruling, further stated the committee’s commitment to ensuring transparency in the health budget, starting with a painstaking analysis of budgetary allocations to the agency for 2016 and 2017.
In her contribution, Ayo Omidiran argued that the 2-page presentation handed lawmakers was part of plans to frustrate the committee.
Earlier, Shuaib explained that out of the N15,694,635,719 appropriated for capital expenditure, the sum of N12,673,590,715 was released out of which N11,860,800,780.50 was utilised, leaving an outstanding of N3,021,045,004 yet to be released to the agency.
According to the document presented by the agency, out of the sum of N1,743,406,067 appropriated for non-polio Special Immunisation Activities, devices procurement and operational costs), N380,542,245.80 was released from which N259,992,982.98 was utilised leaving the balance of N1,362,863,821.20 yet to be released to the agency.