By Hassan Zaggi
The Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has said that the return of direct GAVI programme funding symbolizes the unwavering commitment of the federal government to fight corruption and provide what he described as a stable framework for governance.
He stated this at the official re-commencement of direct Gavi programme funding through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in Abuja, Thursday.
“Today therefore marks a momentous occasion as we gather here to celebrate the official re-commencement of direct Gavi programme funding through the NPHCDA.
“This stands as proof of the accomplishments resulting from our combined endeavours to establish accountability and transparency, thereby instilling trust in our systems,” he stressed.
The SGF commended all stakeholders involved in the achievement, especially the management team and staff of the NPHCDA led by Dr Faisal Shuaib as well as the Nigerian people whose support and dedication, according to him, have been instrumental in the government’s anti-corruption drive.
He, however, charged Nigerians to “remain steadfast in our determination to address the challenges that lie ahead and work collaboratively to build a resilient and inclusive healthcare system that meets the needs of our people.
“Together, we can make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of our nation.”
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, recalled that GAVI had stopped funding programme in Nigeria through the NPHCDA following unsatisfactory findings from GAVI Programme audit in 2015.
The recommencement of direct funding, he said, is a testimony to the renewed confidence in the country’s financial management system especially on the part of the current NPHCDA management.
Ehanire noted that the improved financial management system in NPHCDA aligns with the current government’s zero tolerance for financial mismanagement practices and anti-corruption stance.
While saying that he is proud of NPHCDA’s achievements, the Minister explained that: “Direct programme funding will lead to major advantages of streamlining of approval process to save time, cost savings and system strengthening in financial management.
“However, it is expected that GAVI and our other partners will continue to provide technical support to enable us to maximize the gains of these process transition.”
He, therefore, commended GAVI “for this renewed confidence in the leadership of Nigeria’s health sector. The Government will on its part continue to preserve the confidence through the accountability policies put in place to enable greater transparency and closer grant monitoring and management.
“The establishment of a Grant compliance coordinating office (GCCO) in NPHCDA is a step in the right direction. The GCCO will have the responsibility of ensuring judicious utilization of all funds from government and partners provided for programmes in NPHCDA.”
He assured that the Federal Government’s will continue to do all it takes not only to sustain GAVI’s confidence but to actualise the collective dream of health for all.
On his part, the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr. Shuabi Faisal, disclosed that at the inception his management in 2017, one of his strategic objective was changing the agency’s narrative about accountability and transparency in management of resources.
He, however, stressed that: “Today’s event is a celebration of the achievement of this objective.”
Dr. Faisal lamented that “when this administration came in, the agency was at its lowest ebb, as far as accountability and transparency in operations was concerned.
“We started out having to handle an issue involving misuse of donor funds, which led to the new administration having to compel staff to refund funds that were disbursed for state level activities, for which there were no acceptable evidence of those activities having been carried out.
“However, the spectre of misused Gavi funds still hung over the Agency, leading to Gavi’s stoppage of direct funds disbursement to NPHCDA for programme implementation.
“Funds had to be disbursed through development partners for activities approved for NPHCDA to implement.
“This hurt the system, and apart from the fact that part of the funds went for payment of Procurement Service Charges (PSC), there were avoidable delays in the approval processes of our development partners for utilization of the funds.
“Some of the approval bottlenecks were due to a misalignment of the Federal Government of Nigeria and implementing partners’ priorities, which did not bode well for the country’s goals and aspirations.”
He noted that his management had to take steps to improve the image of the agency through the establishment of fit-for-purpose structures aimed at checkmating the then prevalent forces of impunity and total lack of accountability.
“The structures so established included a Grant Coordination and Compliance Office, which had the responsibility of ensuring that grants and other funding support are being appropriately utilized, in line with the objectives of their infusion into the system. All program leads had to report to the Grant Compliance and Coordinating Office (GCCO) on their activities especially as regards fund utilization.
“We also created the office of an Advisor to the ED on Accountability and Transparency in fund utilization, with the officer in this position reporting directly to the Executive Director/CEO.
“The Gavi alliance has graciously taken over the responsibility for paying the remuneration of the officer in this position, which is a welcome development as it goes a long way towards ensuring independence for this office.”
The NPHCDA boss, therefore, charged management and staff of the agency “to continue to work hard and maintain the level of transparency and accountability we have always strive to produce.”
