The year 2008 has ended; and for ministries and parastatals, this is a time to be careful, given the development in the Ministry of Health over its unspent funds.
A N300m scam blew open on March 25 and it culminated in the forced resignation of two ministers and suspension of the Permanent Secretary and six directors.
The former Minister, Prof Adenike Grange, and her Minister of State, Mr. Gabriel Aduku did not only lose their jobs after being in the saddle for just nine months, they were also arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
But the height of the whole drama was the revelation that the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Health each collected N10m.
According to the lawmakers involved, the money was meant for a capacity building trip to Ghana.
However, at the behest of the EFCC, the House Committee returned its share but the Senate Committee under the leadership of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello refused to return the money. Attempts to get Iyabo to answer some questions at the EFCC on the matter, forced her to go underground for some days, before she succumbed to pressure to make herself available.
Consequently, Yar’Adua appointed the Minister of Labour, Dr Hassan Lawal to supervise the Ministry until the appointment of Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin and his Minister of State, Dr Aliyu Hong as Minister and Minister of State respectively, last week.
source:the punch news paper
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