The Nigerian Senate has condemned a proposal by the Federal Ministry of Health to borrow $200 million (N82,070,388,916.76) under the malaria program to buy mosquito nets in the 2022 budget.
A member of the Senate Committee on Health, Gershom Bassey on Tuesday opposed the move by the Ministry during the 2022 budget defence of the Federal Ministry of Health.
Bassey told the Permanent Secretary, Mahmuda Mamman that the proposal with respect to borrowing $200 million (about N82 billion at the official exchange rate of N410 to a dollar) to purchase mosquito nets was outrageous considering the amount involved.
The Committee’s condemnation was in response to the Permanent Secretary’s earlier submission of the intention to borrow the said amount for the purchase of mosquito nets.
The panel further demanded the total needs of the agency to ascertain if there was a need for borrowing.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib had said the $200 million was for importation and local production of mosquito nets.
Committee Chairman on Health in the Senate, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, in his reaction, said the idea of borrowing money from World Bank is “money and job for the boys” by somebody in Washington, D.C.
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