Senate probes abandoned N400bn health project fund kept in Keystone Bank

The Senate has commenced investigations into the abandoned N400 billion National Primary HealthCentre Project to determine the status of the project funds warehoused with the then Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank).

This was a sequel to a motion during Wednesday’s plenary moved by Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe (APC-Kwara) and co-sponsored by Sen. Umar Suleiman (APC-Kwara) on “Need to investigate the abandoned N400 billion National Primary Health Center Project.

Moving the motion, Oloriegbe, who is Chairman Senate Committee on Health, noted that the project was initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006 in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGA).

“It is a 60-bed project which was to be complemented with four, three-bedroom flats, doctors quarters, an ambulance, all basic hospital equipment, and drugs,” he said.

He further said that in order to achieve this lofty project, the Federal Government deducted monies from the excess crude account of all the 774 LGAs on a monthly basis.

“In spite of all those professional pre-contract activities, the contract for the execution of the projects in the LGAs was awarded to Messrs Mattans Nig. Ltd without any known tendering and selection process.

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“Some of these projects were commenced and abandoned at various stages while the majority of them were never started in spite of huge sums of money released to all the sub-contractors.”

Contributing, Sen. Matthew Urhoghide (PDP-Edo) said “there are some of our committees that have been inundated with one petition or the other concerning this project.

“This is an opportunity for us to really look into this issue dispassionately and put the blame where it is because Nigerians have been surcharged about the project.”

On her part, Sen. Biodun Olujimi (PDP-Ekiti) said the motion was a clear idea of a genuine commitment to primary health.

“The investigation must go on. We must be able to lay the blames where they are and something good must come out of this.

“N400 billion is something that will work well for our people in the health sector,” she said.

The prayers of the motion were unanimously adopted by the senators after a voice vote by the President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan.

Furthermore, the Upper Chambers mandated its Joint Committee on Health, Primary HealthCare and Communicable Diseases, Works, and Housing to determine the level of progress and status of the projects in each of the 774 Local Government Areas.

The committee was given a six-week window to ensure thorough investigations before reporting back its findings.

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