*The National Food Drug Administration and Control paid N48, 885,845.00 for services not rendered and goods not supplied, while it used fake receipts for these payments among others, according to Nigeria’s Auditor-General ─Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Concerned about the purported widespread corruption in the Federal Ministry of Health Ministry and associated agencies, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe allegations that N3,836,685,213.13 of taxpayers’ money meant for the Federal Ministry of Health, teaching hospitals, medical centres, and National Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) are missing, mismanaged, diverted, or stolen.

Kolawole Oluwadare, Deputy Director of SERAP in a statement Sunday, January 3, 2021, urged President Buhari to direct Mr. Abubakar Malami, Honourable Minister for Justice/Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), to commence an investigation into the alleged stolen funds.

The group stated that the allegations are documented in Part 1 of the 2018 audited report released last week by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

SERA also petitioned the Nigerian President to “promptly investigate the extent and patterns of widespread corruption in the Federal Ministry of Health, teaching hospitals, medical centres, neuro-psychiatric hospitals, National Health Insurance Scheme, and NAFDAC indicted in the audited report, and to clean up an apparently entrenched system of corruption in the health sector.

“Corruption in the health sector can cause serious harm to individuals and society, especially the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

“These missing funds could have been used to provide access to quality healthcare for Nigerians and meet the requirements of the National Health Act, especially at a time of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to SERAP, “the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, spent without approval N13,910,000.00 to organise a 2-day Training and Bilateral discussion with Chief Medical Directors and Chairmen Medical Advisory Council and the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to prepare 2019 Personnel Budget. N4,860,000.00 was originally budgeted for the programme.

“The National Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) paid N48,885,845.00 for services not rendered and goods not supplied.”

The organisation further said: “According to the Auditor-General, NAFDAC used fake and fictitious receipts for these payments.

“NAFDAC also paid N25,734,018.49 to companies/firms who were never awarded any contracts and never executed them.”