Taraba health commissioner denies embezzling N1.2bn COVID-19 funds

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4 years ago

Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr Innocent Vakkai has debunked local media reports that he personally embezzled N1.2billion COVID-19 grant donated by the Federal Government to manage the pandemic in the state.

Vakai, who is also chairman Taraba State Technical Committee on COVID-19 said the publication was false, targeted at tarnishing his image and that of the state.

The commissioner while briefing journalists on the allegation on Tuesday in Jalingo, denied receiving N1.2bn from the FG, donor agencies or individuals since the inception of Covid-19.

He explained that N1billion grant by the FG was sent directly to the government account with specifications on how to use the money, adding that the fund adequately used as instructed.

Our correspondent reports that a local tabloid in Taraba had over the weekend published a report alleging that the commissioner of embezzled N1.2bn Covid-19 fund donated by the federal government to manage the virus in the state.

According to the report, the commissioner diverted the money which he is using to build hospitals in Abuja and Yola in Adamawa State and another personal project in Jalingo.

But the commissioner said: “I want to state here categorically that the state technical committee can only apply for funds through the Taraba State government account section, we don’t have an account where support funds can be paid into for me to disburse anyhow I want.

“If one is to apply for funds, you first of all state reasons and items, why you need such funds, you also report back to the state government with receipt of your expenditure on how the funds were expended.

“The newspaper accused me of building a gigantic hospital in Abuja and Yola with COVID-19 funds, I want to tell the whole world that is not true.

“I have no single health care center anywhere in Nigeria, not to talk of a big hospital, I will be happy if he can go and point at these structures he is alleging me of having. The publisher should also show the EFCC where all these structures are.

“How much have we collected since the outbreak of COVID-19 that one can use for such a project? most of these donations you hear are not in cash, they come in items such as face mask, sanitisers, hand washing tanks, temperature testing equipment, beds for isolation centres, treatment equipment and so many other things.

“I also want to tell the people of Taraba State that we collected a sum of N1 billion from the federal government, not N1.2bn. The money was used to provide Personel Protection Equipment (PPEs) for our frontline workers.

“We also use part of it to provide equipment for our two treatment centres at Specialist Hospitals Jalingo and General Hospital Takum.

“We are the 30-man Technical Committee that was inaugurated by the governor. So how can I manipulate these full-grown men to bypass the state government account section and remove even more than we have been supported with in the first place?

“I am shocked with that report, I am urging all the journalists in the state and beyond to always confirm issues before going to press,” the commissioner said.

Bar. Danjuma Adamu, the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation who is also a member of the technical committee also described the news as fake, calling on people of the state to disregard the publication and support the committee to succeed in controlling the spread of the disease in the state.

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