Nigerian Govt Spends Over N16 Billion On Disease Control Since 2020
Data exclusively obtained by the International Centre For Investigative Reporting, (The ICIR) shows that over 16 billion has been released to the National Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) from 2020 to now.
The document shows a total of N10, 490,349,617 as the sum total of the money released to the control centre since 2020 from the approved capital project.
A breakdown of the capital released to the disease control centre shows that N9.2 billion was released in 2020 at the peak of the pandemic.
In 2021, the centre received N791, 657,084, this is approximately 91 per cent reduction from what they received the previous year.
So far in 2022, N468, 692,533 has been released to NCDC. This is a 40 per cent reduction from 2021 and a 95 per cent reduction from 2020.
Meanwhile, to combat COVID-19, the NCDC has received N5.7 billion since 2020 to equip, expand and provide personnel for its centres across the country.
Further breakdown of the money released to combat the COVID-19 shows that N5 billion was disbursed to combat the covid-19 pandemic, N634, 922,245 was under surveillance, N61 million for health-related communications and 38,954,975 was for infection prevention and control.
Infographics showing the capital and covid-19 funds released to the NCDC since 2020
The FG received COVID-19 intervention grants from individuals and organisations coalition to mitigate its impact.
The coalition, CACOVID worked with the Federal Government, the NCDC, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to fight the scourge, which has killed over six million people globally and over 3,000 in Nigeria, as of August 15.
Media reports also indicate the federal government received $294m through the global fund.
The Global Fund is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDs, tuberculosis, and malaria, as well as epidemics.
The amount released to the centre is however amongst the funds released to the teaching hospitals and federal medical centres in the country as a way to combat the spread of COVID-19 and provide first-class health facilities in the hospitals.
However, findings by The ICIR have shown some agencies of government, including the National centre for disease control, embarked on fraudulent COVID-19-related procurements during the pandemic, flouting the procurement law.
The case of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) awarding N202 million in contracts without a procurement plan was among the infractions reported by The ICIR.
In another investigation, The ICIR detailed how NCDC awarded a contract worth 43.5 million to a non-existing company.
Another contract reportedly offered to a non-existent company was exposed. N853 million flawed contract at the Jos University Teaching Hospital was made public here, and another N244.6 million was exposed here.
Aside from the money released for the NCDC to combat COVID-19, N35.7 billion was disbursed to 37 teaching hospitals and federal medical centres for the same purposes.
For the 37 medical centres and teaching hospitals, the federal medical centre, Jabi in Abuja tops the list with the highest money received, with N 1,130,971,906 to combat the virus and N345,848,653 for the Molecular laboratory.
Likewise, the lowest funded facilities are National Obstetrics Fistula centre Bauchi, National Eye Centre Kaduna, National Ear Centre Kaduna, National Obstetrics Fistula Centre Abakaliki, National Obstetrics Fistula centre Katsina, National Orthopedic Hospital, Lagos, each received N280, 000,000.
The details of the 37 hospitals that got over
N35 billion in COVID-19 funds can be seen here while that of 21 teaching hospitals that got over N22 billion can be seen here.
Source:- Icirnigeria
