The senate has commenced moves to investigate the year long abandoned N400Billion National Primary Health Center Project initiated in 2006 to build a 60 bed primary Health care centres in each of the 774 local government across the country.
This followed a motion by senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe , (Kwara central ) and senator Sadiq Suleiman (Kwara North).
In his presentation senator Oloriegbe said the proposed 60 bed primary Health centres was expected to be completed with a three bedroom flat , doctors Quarters, ambulance and all basic Hospital Equipment.
Senator Oloriegbe added that the federal government deducted monies from the excess crude account of all the 774 local government areas on a monthly basis , which was warehoused in the then plantinum Habib Bank (Now Key stone bank ) until the funds required for the actualization of the project were realized
The Kwara central lawmaker lamented that despite all the pre- contract activities, the execution of the projects was awarded to to messrs mattans Nigeria Limited without any known tendering and selection process.
He added that Messrs Mattans further sub contracted the jobs to consultant and sub consultants without the consent of of the government or its agencies involved.
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Senator Oloriegbe revealed that despite huge sums of monies released to the sub contractors through Messr Mattans Nig. Limited , the projects are abandoned at various stages while a large number of these projects were never started.
In separate contributions, Lawmakers commended senator Oloriegbe Ibrahim for the initiative, noting that it would go a long way in resolving the matter which was also introduced in the 8th Senate, with nothing achieved.
They added that achieving the 774 primary health centre across the country will be a landmark achievement by the Nigerians 9th Senate.
The senate in its resolution mandated its committee on health, primary Health care and communicable Diseases to undertake an investigation to determine the status of projects domiciled with bank PHB (Now Keystone Bank ), determine the level of progress and status of the project in each of the 774 local government, carry out evaluation of the consultant, contractor and sub-contractors that participated in the project as well as recommend ways of completing the project Nationwide.
President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, referred the bill to the Committee on works and Housing ,and primary health care.
The Committee has six weeks to report back to the Senate.
(Editor: Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
