Collins Agwam
A coalition of organisations against corruption in Nigeria has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the National Primary Health Care Development Agency over an alleged payment of N380 million to some contractors without clear descriptions of the projects involved.
The spokesperson of the group, Adamu Musa, in a statement on Friday, called for immediate action on the matter, adding that such transactions, if true, undermined the government’s commitment to financial transparency.
He noted that an investigative report recently published by the Foundation of Investigative Journalism indicated that the NPHCDA did not specify what the payments made to the contractors were meant for.
Musa said, “According to a report published on 7th October 2024 by the FIJ, on September 14, the NPHCDA disbursed about N380 million to various contractors but failed to provide any specific details regarding what the payments were for.
“This contravenes the 2021 directive on the Open Treasury Portal, which mandates that all federal agencies disclose detailed information about payments exceeding N5 million,” the statement read in part.
“We call on the EFCC and ICPC to investigate these transactions and ensure that those responsible are held accountable. Public funds should be used responsibly and transparently.”
Efforts by our correspondent to contact the NPHCDA for clarification were unsuccessful as the phone numbers provided on the agency’s website for general inquiries were unreachable as of the time of filing this report.
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