Compliant:
LAWLESS COUNTRY

Say, Lawless North

Much as we are not rejoicing over the death of the COS, he could have done some things differently.

No wonder he was scared not to be treated in government hospital, opting for a private facility.

Adieu

Coronavirus: Health ministry’s preparation suffers as Presidency blocks procurement

The Federal Ministry of Health’s inability to procure equipment and equip laboratories is affecting Nigeria’s preparation for a possible Coronavirus epidemic, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

This is despite the release of N386m by the Federal Government to scale up preparation to tackle the disease.

The Presidency through the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, had in October 2018 stripped the ministry of its powers to procure anything and transferred the authority to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The PUNCH had reported that the development was caused by a power play between the then Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, and Kyari.

Eight months after Adewole’s exit, however, Kyari it was learnt, had failed to reverse the directive.

A top official at the health ministry said attempts to get the President’s chief of staff to reverse the situation had not yielded any positive results.

The official said both the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire and the Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, had met with Kyari over the issue but there had been no progress yet.

He said the situation had slowed down preparations for prevention of Coronavirus, a disease which has killed more than 1,800 people and infected over 73,000 people worldwide.

The official, who is also a doctor, said items like nose masks, chemicals and equipment were being procured through the Agric ministry

He said, “We can’t easily get consumables like personal protective equipment, including nose masks.

“We need to improve our capacity for quarantine and surveillance and monitor those coming (to Nigeria), especially where we have a basis for suspicion. Logistics cost more money. We need to set up more labs, we need reagents. There is no way the suspension of our procurement powers will not affect our capacity.

“Even when we have money, we cannot activate procurement because we have been stripped of our powers of procurement.”

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The source further stated that the ministry needed more thermal scanners at the various points of entry and this was being delayed.

“We need to deploy more staff. We need personnel capacity, training, logistics. All these things are important. All these things are not there when we need them.

“Even our thermal scanners at the airport, we need more at all our points of entry. So, it is affecting us seriously,” he said.

Sunday PUNCH reports that due to the friction between the former minister, Adewole, and Kyari, a directive was given to the then Permanent Secretary, Clement Uwaifo, in October 2018 that all contracts and procurement related issues must go through the ministry of agric.

Documents obtained by Sunday PUNCH showed that whenever the ministry of health wants to make procurement, the permanent secretary would raise a memo which would be sent to the permanent secretary of the agric ministry.

It was observed that in some instances, the permanent secretary would give direct approval while sometimes, he would write a memo to the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Mamman Ahmadu, who would approve based on the Procurement Act.

When contacted on the telephone, the Permanent Secretary of the health ministry, Abdullahi Mashi, told Sunday PUNCH that indeed the ministry had been barred from making procurements.

Mashi said the issues had been communicated to the appropriate authorities and the ministry of health had been asked to write a formal request asking for its procurement powers to be returned.

The permanent secretary, however, said the preventive measures put in place to tackle a potential Coronavirus outbreak were adequate despite the ministry’s procurement challenge.

He said all the major airports in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt had been placed on alert and thermal scanners deployed.

On the procurement challenge, he said, “We were asked to write on the matter and we have written and we are expecting a response soon.

“For now, there is no gap. We have done everything within our power to secure our points of entry. It’s not true that it’s affecting coronavirus preparations. The five entry points are being properly manned by our men 24/7.”

When asked if the ministry was not worried by its inability to make procurements, he said, “I did not say the arrangement is working for us. I am the chief accounting officer and there is no way I will be comfortable with an arrangement whereby I have to approach another ministry for help. It is not working for me.”

When contacted on the telephone, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the health ministry was stripped of its procurement powers because it exceeded its spending limits.

He said, “The Ministry of Agriculture was appointed to do procurement on their behalf arising from a problem which was brought to the attention of the government by the Bureau of Public Procurement. The health ministry was authorised to spend N2bn but they spent N7bn.”

Shehu said the officials of the ministry who were lamenting to Sunday PUNCH should write to BPP instead of trying to blackmail Kyari.

He, however, did not respond on why the arrangement was still in place eight months after the exit of those involved in the unauthorised spending.

“This arrangement has been on for over a year. They should not try to use Coronavirus to blackmail the government. Let them approach BPP if they are sure that their house is in order,” he added.

Attempts to speak with the EFCC spokesman, Mr Tony Orilade, proved abortive as he neither responded to telephone calls nor a text message on Saturday.

https://punchng.com/coronavirus-health-ministrys-preparation-suffers-as-presidency-blocks-procurement/

They'll be caught. It only happens in movies though

You must to be a very good cook

Nollywood gone bad

Hmmm

Deliberate wickedness

SharonLoveth:


I'll explain and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog-faced buffoon

I do not look alike your loutish sponsors.

SharonLoveth:
What Is He Or She Doing In The Zoo Republic Where The President Value Cows Than Human Beings

You need not show sincere bitterness at every news.

No point to satisfy your ego whenever you feel you can type 'zoo' and 'cows' in the same sentence.

Beautiful city

Great one.


I believe this disease catches people easily and dies easily If discovered quickly.

Waoh

DModeCntStopMe:


How many times will this grace the front page

Thought we have seen it before

See it again, men

NDDC, be quick

NCDC, be fast

jboycrb:


By what ooo?

It is by giving out. Sharing.
There's love in sharing na.

Jayloy:


When do we as a church start publicising what we do? Is it because of social media? I thought Papa operate on the biblical principles of if your right hand gives then your left should not know. What changed?

But we can publish and broadcast Christ to the dying world, right?

Adaogwashi1:
Lolz if you know the kind of cars your imams drive you will shut up they should sell their cars and donate the money





I still remain Ada ogwashi

Don't mind the guy. Now he is playing the excuse card...

mrkia:
These are nothing compared to what he's since been extorted from his sheep's...

At least, he is giving back.....

That is the moral and requirement needed at a time as this

isthatso:


Do Imams collect tithe?

Is it by tithes?

Muslims, what is MURIC and the famous Prof doing for Nigerians and faithfuls at this time?

All the while, I use to think P A Ogundipe was a man. I used the New Practical English textbook from Form 1 to SS3. Even the brighter grammar series was dusted from back to back.

Great books.

May her intelligent spirit rest in great peace.

Hassan88:

Clap for yourself, PA to Death.

Definitely, u are not in the news lately. Are you?

Now that this has happened, will PM Boris Johnson let him die so that other young people can live?


In another thought, COVID one nine is just getting more popular by the day.... The high and mighty are just hugging you up and down

Opposition does not have a job in Lagos

Ok

Den dey fear

MrBrownJay1:
i once wrote a few months back that Ronaldinho was broke....and that all his millions were gone, and some foolish people thought i was talking rubbish. the above is a clue. yes, he still has houses cars in Brasil etc but NO MORE CASH. he cant even pay the fine of a few millions that the Brazilian gov imposed on his biz, so he could get his passport back to travel abroad, so he has to now turn to forgery. lol

so he cant even afford lawyers so Messi needs to chip in?!

Hey bro,

Did you also support Real Madrid during the playing days of Ronaldinho. I just need to clarify something bothering my thoughts.

Educative

Kk

wehdone

Developing the middle belt of 9ja

Lol