By Aaron Ossai
Health and Social Welfare Minister, Muhammad Ali Pate has been queried by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets and Special Duties over the Ministry’s Public, Private Partnership programme and concession agreement aimed at improving healthcare in the country.
The Committee also probed the BioVaccines Nigeria Limited, which is a joint venture between the Federal Government and May, and Baker in 2007 and other partnerships by the Ministry.
Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Dabo Haruna, directed that the Minister must submit relevant documents including evidence of advertisement of this PPPs/concession/lease, expression of interest on these leases as well as specific achievements recorded by the Ministry in the period under reference.
The Committee Chairman, Hon. Ademorin Kuye, who later joined the hearing, said the Minister should provide the documents supporting the Ministry’s N10 billion equity contributions.
The Minister was also directed to provide relevant documents over the lease of land to May and Baker in Lagos. He is also to tender a document of transfer of shares to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI).
“I also want to bring to your notice that in the document, part of the document submitted, the equity contribution of the federal government is N10 billion.
“We take it as part of the information and documents that will be submitted alongside with the pending documents. We want to know where that money is, the utilization of the funds, when the money is being released, where the money has been domiciled.
“Also as part of the agreement, government gave out a landed property in Lagos. We want to have comprehensive documents of the agreement and document of the property, the landed property, to be submitted to this Honourable Committee as well.
“Finally, we want you to clarify to us in your next appearance the share capital of federal government and that of the partners; we want documents showing in detail how the shares have been domiciled, what is for the federal government and what is for the percentage that belongs to the federal government and that of the partners”, he added.
Responding, the Minister pleaded to be given till the next sitting to provide the relevant documents.
“The ministry has taken due steps to try to collect the documents that are available, but there are still, I believe, important gaps.
“I would like to plead with the committee in order to be very thorough in terms of completeness of what you have requested that we be given more time to be able to come back to the committee with a fuller response that is vetted”, he pleaded.