Written by Ndidi Chukwu
The Supervising Minister of Health, and Minister of State for Health Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, has described media reports on alleged misused of a $ 2.2 Million U.S dollars of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) funds by the Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) as misleading and inaccurate.
This was contained in a press release signed by Mrs. A. O Adesuwa, the Director Media and Public Relations and made available to Health Reporters yesterday. The release quoted the minster as accusing GAVI of indictment of the Federal Ministry of Health, after they had signed a memorandum of understanding to improve the working relationship between them.
Part of the release said “the attention of the Supervising Minister and Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, has been drawn to misleading and inaccurate reports published in some sections of the media on the purported “indictment” of Nigeria by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) for “alleged misuse of vaccine funds for program activities under the National Primary Health Care Development Agency NPHCDA.” It also maintained that the media publications were based on an incomplete and unilateral report of the Cash Program Audit (CPA) commissioned by GAVI, which did not contain Nigeria’s response, as is the custom in bilateral and multilateral relationships.
“Additionally, the report implied that Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, has withdrawn its cash program support to Nigeria”. The statement quoted Alhassan as saying, “it must be stated clearly, that nothing could be further from the truth as GAVI and Nigeria, represented by the Federal Ministry of Health signed a letter of understanding on 17 October, 2014, aimed at further improving the working relationship between the two parties for support in systems strengthening, in order to enhance transparency and accountability”
The Ministry in the statement said it is committed to ensuring that immunization activities are carried out effectively and transparently as buttressed by Nigeria’s success and commendation by WHO, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Board for the Monitoring of Polio (IMB), in curtailing the occurrence of the Wild Polio Virus in Nigeria
“We therefore urge the media to ensure that their reports are accurate and balanced. The doors of the Hon. Minister are always wide open to journalists who wish to cross check their stories”
