Following disclosure by the wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari that the State House Clinic lacks amenities as basic as syringes and needles despite billions of naira allocated to it, the House of Representatives on Thursday resolved to launch and investigation into the matter.
The lawmakers also lauded the wife of the President for her courageous stance on issues of corruption, particularly the inadequacies she pointed out about the Aso Rock clinic.
The clinic which is supposed cater for the health needs of the first and second families, their security and domenstic staff, aides and support staff came under public scrutiny when President Buhari’s Daughter, Zahra took to her Instagram page to raise concerns over the poor condition of the hospital despite the over N3 billion that was budgeted for the hospital in the 2017 appropriation.
The House thus resolved to set up an adhoc committee to conduct a thorough investigation into questions raised by the first family regarding the state of the Clinic with a view ascertaining the level of releases and utilisation of appropriated funds from 2015 to date.
The resolution followed a motion titled, “Need to investigate the deplorable condition of the State House Clinic and the alleged deductions from the salaries and allowances of the medical staff, moved by Hon. Henry Archibong (PDP, Akwa Ibom).
Leading debate on the motion, the lawmaker, said that the clinic has over the years, been receiving annual budgetary allocations to procure equipment to function optimally, noting that in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Appropriation Acts, the Clinic was allocated the sums of N3.94 billion, N3.87 billion and N3.2 billion respectively, for upgrading and provision of necessary drugs and equipment.
Hon. Archibong argued that in spite of the huge budgetary allocations, the Clinic lacks necessary facilities such as syringes, drugs and equipment needed for saving lives.
He recalled that “this deplorable condition of the clinic made the First Lady, Aisha Buhari to complain publicly during a stakeholders’ meeting, lamenting her inability to access even the simplest drugs at the State House Clinic when she took ill.
Archibong, lamented that “if this pathetic situation can happen under the nose of the presidency, you can imagine what will happen elsewhere. It is a shame on this nation”.
The adhoc committee to be set up is according to the motion expected to report back within three (3) weeks for further legislative action.
