Senate probes NPHCDA over N5.7bn donor funds

The Senate Public Accounts Committee has launched a probe into the management of N5.7 billion donor agency funds by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA).  The panel, while relying on a report by the Auditor General for the Federation, said the funds, donated by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), were mismanaged between […]

Senate probes NPHCDA over N5.7bn donor funds

Senate President Ahmad Lawan

The Senate Public Accounts Committee has launched a probe into the management of N5.7 billion donor agency funds by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA). 

The panel, while relying on a report by the Auditor General for the Federation, said the funds, donated by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), were mismanaged between 2010 and 2015. 

The committee chaired by Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) is probing the financial books of federal government agencies using the audit report. 

It said N4.9 billion was expended on the procurement of goods and services without adherence to procurement law.

The query said NPHCDA carried out expenditure amounting to N187.7 million without the backing of relevant statutory and third party documents such as payment vouchers, receipts, invoices, delivery notes, store receipt vouchers, and contract completion certificates.   

Other illegal expenditures, according to the query, are payments of N18.8 million to suppliers who did not deliver the procured goods or services, and inadequately supported expenditure of N619.9 million.   

Urhoghide lamented that officials of the Ministry of Health, which supervised NPHCDA, had been invited on several occasions to respond to the query but none of the invites was honoured. 

He threatened that his panel will resort to issuing a warrant of arrest to compel the officials to defend the query.