The Senate on Tuesday strongly condemned the proposal by the Federal Ministry of Health to borrow $200 million under the Malaria programme to buy mosquito nets in the 2022 budget.
A member of Senate Committee on Health, Senator Gershom Bassey made the condemnation during the 2022 budget defence of the Federal Ministry of Health
Bassey pointedly told the Permanent Secretary, Mahmuda Mamman that the proposal with respect to purchase of mosquito nets was a big issue, expressing concerns that borrowing $200 million was outrageous.
Committee’s condemnation was in response to the Permanent Secretary’s earlier submission of the intention to borrow the amount for purchase of.mosquito nets.
The panel further demanded for the total needs of the agency to ascertain if there was need for borrowing.
In his further clarification, the Executive Director, National Primary Heal Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib noted that the $200 million was for importation and local production of mosquito nets.
Committee Chairman on Health, Senator Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, in his reaction explained that said the idea of borrowing money from World Bank is “money and job for the boys” by somebody in Washington DC, adding that its consultancy services provided at the lower level of State and Local Government.
Senate panel further expressed anger at humongous amount of money spent on COVID-19, which initially the sum of $100 million was requested under the 2018 and 2020 external borrowing plan, the documents of which were submitted by the former DG, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC.
The new Director General of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa who was at the budget defence on his second day in office had a tough time defending it, yet lawmakers weren’t satisfied.
Dr. Adetifa further explained that the second COVID-19 emergency response went for additional $400 million, which was coming to NCDC for the purchase of vaccines.
Senator Oloriegbe wondered the borrowing of outrageous sum for NCDC alone from the World Bank at the expense of other domestic resources which were huge.
He wanted to know if NCDC did a real costing and reconciled its figures with National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHDA
The Committee also queried why the money for vaccine under NCDC and not NPHCDA, which has the legal, structural and technical know how handle issue.
After rejected the budget, Senator Gershom Bassey directed the Health team to go back and put things in order and report back before Friday.
