Why we budgeted N3.2 billion for State House Clinic – Presidency

FILE PHOTO: President Muhammadu Buhari presenting the 2016 Budget to the National Assembly
FILE PHOTO: President Muhammadu Buhari presenting the 2016 Budget to the National Assembly

The Permanent Secretary attached to the State House, Jalal Arabi, has justified the allocation of N3.2 billion for capital projects at the State House clinic in the draft 2016 budget, saying the money was intended to transform the clinic to a centre of excellence.

The proposal to spend a whopping N3.8 billion on the clinic, which is mainly used by the President, the Vice President, their families, personal staff and few privileged officials, has been roundly criticised by Nigerians.

A review of the budget by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that the N3.2 billion allocated for capital project at the clinic was more than the combined allocations for capital projects in all teaching hospitals in the country.

The allocation to the State House Clinic is also more than the total allocation for the construction of hospitals across the country.

When asked why the State House Clinic got more money allocated to it than teaching hospitals for capital projects, Permanent Secretary Arabi said the huge vote to the medical centre was based on the presidency’s desire to turn the facility to a centre of excellence.

Mr. Arabi spoke about 24 hours after Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, dissociated himself from the controversial allocation to the hospital, saying the State House Clinic is not under his purview.

He however said the figure should be checked again to make sure that those he described as “rats” had not inflated the allocation to the clinic.

The minister had earlier told the senate committee on health that the budget for his ministry which he was called to defend had been doctored and that “foreign” appropriation had been sneaked in.

“The State House Clinic is not under the Ministry of Health,” Professor Adewole said. “I hope it’s not the same rats that changed things in our budget that changed it.

“The amount is meant for procurement and purchase of medical equipment. It is very important that you engage them because what happened to us might have also happened to them. It is possible that what is there might not have been what they put there.”

 
But the permanent secretary for the presidency has now confirmed that the allocation the clinic was not doctored, but that the N3.2billion vote was deliberate.

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  • Bryan

    This is getting very embarrassing. Can’t wait to hear PMB’s take on this

    • tamedo1

      isn’t it clear that PMB is more of a manager than than leader? Not sure if he is a good manager.

      • hyperbole123

        i’m not even sure he can manage anything

      • ojays

        Very poor manager

  • walter enang

    For dem dem while the rest of us have to make use of some dirty backwater hospital facility.

  • FreeNigeria

    This is the dumbest excuse ever. This administration is becoming like the one before it.

    • ojays

      Getting worse

  • Mayo

    They want to turn it into a center of excellence. Are they saying they will allow members of the public (with unique issues) to be treated there? All Aso rock should have is a clinic and more serious issues should be handled at the National Hospital. Another problem is that even after spending all this money there, Buhari will most likely not use the clinic cos he said he has been using his doctor in the UK since 1978 and we know that in the 80’s our teaching hospitals were very good.

  • Du Covenant

    I think we are rushing to judgement too fast here. Lets hear the details of the plan they have for the State clinic. I’d prefer this money spent in a facility on our soil than paying hospitals abroad who just for the fact that these people are Nigerian politicians get charged exhorbitantly. Here is a President who refused to get new cars because” the cars are still good enough for the next 10 years”. With that mindset I belief Buhari will NEVER agree to anything wasteful!. I will not be surprised if the clinic will not be opened to governors, senators, etc….so we can hear what other excuse will the have to go for medical check-up abroad paid by our commonwealth. Don’t rush to such conclusion to people who have so shown sensitivity to the plight of our ordinary citizens by way of so many gestures already…..

  • Frank Olawale

    Why spend so much on so called ‘State clinic’, where an average nigerian wouldn’t be able to benefit from. Is the life of our leaders more important than the ones who voted for them? Let’s stop these shady deals. Allow the ministers to do their job. I have read the comment made by a minister that the budget he submitted is different to the one presented to the Senate. What is going on here? This government has to be careful on how they roll out information to the public; they seem to be having different sources providing different or unbalanced information. As the anti-corruption crusade goes on, let’s not forget that – Corruption is also the process by which a word or expression is changed from its original state to one regarded as erroneous or debased. Now, we complain here and there of what PDP did to our economy; this was one of the reasons you were voted in – to bring change. There is not much problem with what we are going through now compared to not having an agenda for where will want to be in 4, 6, 10, 20 years. I want the ruling party and PMB to tell us about their plan to upturn this economy! Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • ojays

    Defending the indefensible.its unpatriotic to spend so much for privileged few while millions wallow in abject poverty. This is not what we voted for. After all he goes to UK for treatment. I wonder how many Nigerians will have access to that clinic. In a federal teaching hospital yesterday there was no reagent to do urinalysis bcos all IGR was paid to Remita(FGN that is) and nothing from FGN to run the place. Most fed hospitals cant meet their regular obligations – electricity, cleaning, salaries are paid on 36th of the month, yet somebody is voting billions for less than 500 clients.
    May God punish you evil men.

  • 2mmmmmm1nnnnnn

    3.2B FOR ASO ROCK’S CLINIC? WHY NOT SPEND THAT MONEY FOR A NIGERIAN HOSPITAL-TAXPAYERS MONEY; NOT ASO ROCK’S MONEY & ALL THOSE ALAYES OCCUPYING ASO ROCK NOW ARE NOT BETTER THAN THE ALAYES AT SANGOZ.

  • Excisionist

    These people always get their priorities wrong. At a time when we are told there is no money to run the country (with very low oil price), when the university teaching hospitals lag behind similar institutions even in small countries like Ghana, they are allocating 3.2 billion to build a so called “center of excellence”. Luckily, with other similar bogus allocations, their real intentions have been exposed. The national assembly should do well to start Buhari’s impeachment

  • ukoette ibekwe

    How does the state House have a permanent secretary. Is Aso Rock a ministry? When has it been a responsibility of a permanent secretary to defend a budget proposal. What is the duty of the minister of finance. It seems as if Buhari is truly just using the ministers as noise makers as he did describe them before their bow and go. So this permanent secretary is the one who has padded the budget?. He seems to have been the one who even wrote the budget because the President was busy jumping from one country to another.
    The North has really connived with the west to bungle what is left of the country.