Nigeria’s country office of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has denied allegation that the organisation bribed members of the House of Representatives to facilitate passage of the controversial Infectious Diseases Control Bill.
There was widespread allegation of a $10 million dollar bribe from the foundation to members of the House, following the introduction and second reading of the bill in less than two hours about three weeks ago.
But responding to inquiries by the Ad-hoc committee put in place to investigate the allegation, Paulin Basinga, Director, Nigeria Country Office of the organisation in a communication dated May 14, 2020 said, “To be clear, the Foundation has not offered any financial incentives to any member of Nigeria’s legislative branch for the passage of legislation nor has it offered any grants to organisations in Nigeria in connection with the same. The Foundation adheres to strict ethical and legal guidelines across all areas of its operations.
“Any such allegations are entirely false and without merit. What drives the Foundation’s work is the simple and compelling belief that all lives have equal value, and that everyone deserves to lead a healthy productive life. The Foundation works in very diverse settings around the globe in a nonpartisan fashion, consistent with strict U.S. private foundation restrictions on political and legislative engagement. In Nigeria, the Foundation’s focus is on improving the quality of life for the Nigerian people and the Foundation works closely with many partners in achieving that goal.
“The Foundation invests in programs that address Nigeria’s health and development challenges which align with Nigeria’s development agenda and priorities.
“The Foundation is currently providing support to the Nigerian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and broader health issues, working in partnership with international health agencies, development organizations, and civil society. Globally, the Foundation is committed to helping strengthen diagnostic testing, protect at-risk populations; and develop vaccines, treatments and diagnostics in response to COVID-19.
“As the Nigerian government continues to make concerted efforts towards containing the impact of the pandemic and leveraging the National COVID-19 Multi-sectoral Pandemic Response Plan, the Foundation is pleased to continue its partnership with the several government agencies in aligning its support to what would be most beneficial to the Nigerian people in these unprecedented times.
“The Foundation commends the government of Nigeria for the swift response to the pandemic and also commends the Presidential Task Force other Government agencies, and the legislature for their commitment to addressing the pandemic and protecting the Nigerian people.”
