• Recovers N36m from six teaching hospitals
• BudgIT, CODE demand comprehensive report
Report from the monitoring of the $3.4 billion from International Monetary Fund (IMF) for COVID-19 response credited to the account domiciled at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) indicates that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) discovered about N10 billion meant for development of vaccines in a ministry’s account long after the pandemic.
The ICPC had set up teams to track disbursement of COVID-19 intervention fund received by about nine Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government from the point of disbursement to utilisation.
According to the immediate past Chairman of the ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN), the team was put in place because the commission observed discrepancies in the procurement and payments made by some MDAs after the disbursement of the COVID-19 fund.
He said: “The commission observed that in some instances, the distribution of relief materials or palliatives was chaotic, disorderly and uncoordinated.”
Investigation by The Guardian revealed that in the same ministry, over N100 million was approved as welfare package for workers and paid from COVID Intervention Fund.
The findings also showed that over N100 million was budgeted for Wi-Fi and sent to an employee’s personal account.
Also, about six teaching hospitals in the country have also refunded N36 million unspent COVID-19 intervention fund to government coffers after pressure from the ICPC.
The Guardian can authoritatively report that in the coming days, the commission will arraign some indicted officials involved in the approvals and disbursements of the fund, including the official harbouring N100 million budgeted for Wi-Fi in his personal account.
The revelation came as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) involved the tracking process raised concern about the delay in the outcome of the anti-graft agency’s probe, describing the development as unacceptable and long over-due.
Executive Director of Connected Development (CODE), Hamzat Lawal, who rejected insinuations that CSOs were relenting in their efforts towards obtaining answers on how the COVID funds were utilised across MDAs, regretted that various Freedom of Information (FOI) requests it sent failed to yield a positive result.
Lawal lamented: “We have not relented in our efforts to obtain answers and analyses, despite the various FOI requests we have submitted. Unfortunately, it seems to have been a dead-end for CSOs, but we remain resolute.
“Now more than ever, the Nigerian public deserves to know how resources meant for them have been utilised.”
Also, Vahyala Kwaga, a Senior Research and Policy Analyst at BudgIT, who noted that the delay in the outcome of the probe by anti-graft officials was not entirely surprising, said, “There is a recognised trust deficit between citizens and government in Nigeria to which the government is indifferent.
“Despite the massive amount of resources pulled in by the government at various levels, the information on its usage has been less than adequate. The ‘disappearance’ of the matter from the reporting process of the anti-graft agencies reinforces the notion that the government insists on a lack of transparency and accountability. It is even more ironic that agencies meant to be above board, are in no way different.”
In a chat with The Guardian, ICPC’s acting spokesperson, Demola Bakare, disclosed that the commission called for the payment of the N10 billion into the ICPC Recovery Account, but the ministry decided to return the money to the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), adding that the money was confirmed saved.
According to Bakare, the commission indicted the officials involved in the approvals and disbursements of the fund because that was not what the funds were allocated for, adding that those involved have been charged to court.
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