Reps direct health, FCT ministers to provide details on State House Clinic

By Joshua Egbodo

Abuja

House of Representatives has directed the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, and his Federal Capital Territory (FCT) counterpart, Muhammad Musa Bello, to provide it with full details of the operation and management of the State House Clinic, Abuja.
This was even as the duo yesterday feigned ignorance of whose mandate it was to supervise the clinic, as both faced the Ad Hoc Committee of the House investigating the application of about N11.01 billion budgetary allocations to the health institution in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The House had, through a resolution on October 12 this year, mandated the committee to investigate how the budgetary allocations had been expended without commensurate results, as well as the alleged illegal deductions from salaries and allowances of staff of the clinic, following a motion on the matter by Hon. Henry Achibong.
Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire, who made appearance instead of Adewole, told the committee that the clinic was not directly under the ministry of health, and does not know the one directly in-charge.
The FCT Health Secretary, Mrs. Amanda Pam, also told the lawmakers that the clinic was not under the purview of the FCT.
“The State House Clinic is not directly under my ministry. I don’t know who is directly in charge. I didn’t say that it is not under anybody, maybe under the FCT. It is not unusual that the clinic is not under the ministry, this is also applicable in some states. This is what we met on ground,” Ehanire said.
But when the Permanent Secretary (State House), Jelol Arabi, later appeared before the panel, he confirmed that the clinic was directly under the management of the State House, but said the allegation of illegal deductions from staff salaries and allowances was false.

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