.We couldn’t overrun drug cabals-DG
Jonas Ezieke, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services has queried the over bloated figures in the 2022 budget of the National Agency for Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC for the many capital projects earmarked to be executed by the agency.
Chairman of the House Committee Hon.Dr.Tanko Sununu and other committee members raised issues with the humongous figures proposed in the 2022 budget of the agency for its capital projects during the agency’s budget defence by the House Committee
The Director-General of NAFDAC Prof. Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye had presented an estimate of N25.2 billion for the 2022 fiscal year expenditure and revenue projections of the agency including capital projects earmarked for execution.
In summary of the capital projects, the agency had earmarked, N2.9 billion is for building of state offices, N1.7bn for generators, N1.4 billion for laboratory equipment, N1.42 billon for motor vehicles, N666 million for information and communications technology and N78 million for furniture totaling N6.01 billion
Moreover, in 2022 budget, the agency had earmarked N6.78 billion for staff emoluments, N262 billion for equipment’s and N157.8 million for purchase of laptop computers and N40.1 million for the building of its Ebonyi state office.
On the challenge’s being faced by the agency in carrying out its statutory mandate of combating fake and adulterated drugs, she said that there are so many cabals that are into counterfeiting of drugs in Nigeria saying that” we couldn’t overrun these drug cabals”.
But the Committee helmsman and other lawmakers expressed displeasure with the huge budget proposal items for each of these budget heads saying that it is worrisome to see such huge figures in the budget items despite the previous years approved budgets.
Sununu while querying these line items presented by the agency had called on the DG to ensure effective collaboration of NAFDAC with other relevant healthcare agencies as Nigeria Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development NIPRD and Nigeria Institute of Medical Research NIMR.
Meanwhile the lawmaker and another committee member Hon.Omowumni Ogunlola (Osun, APC) had raised issues with the lopsidedness of the recent recruitment carried out by the NIMR during the agency’s budget defence session by the Committee.
Other lawmakers in the Committee notably Hon.Isiaka Ibrahim (Ogun, APC), Hon.Aminu Suleiman (Kano, APC) and Hon Muhammad Wudil (Kano, APC) also kicked against the award of contracts above the approved threshold of these agencies by the chief executive officers.
