Nigeria’s Ministry of Health Accuses Okonjo-Iweala of Making Questionable Payment to Global Health NGO

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

ficials of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) are questioning how former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala handled payment of the sum of $2.2 million that was the subject of a dispute between the Health Ministry and a global non-governmental organization called the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI). Former Nigerian Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

A letter written by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health wondered why Ms. Okonjo-Iweala’s Ministry of Finance rushed to pay the disputed sum to GAVI, a health NGO that had claimed that Nigeria’s health officials had misappropriated the funds between 2011 and 2013.

GAVI had sought the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following disagreements between the NGO and the Federal Ministry of Health, according to a letter written by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health, L.N. Awute.

Specifically, GAVI had accused the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) of several infractions, including failure to pay taxes, failure to make required payments to UNICEF, and failure to supply promised goods and programs between 2011 and 2013.

Source: Sahara Reporters (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care
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vaccines