The National Primary Health Care Development Agency on Wednesday in Abuja accused the National Assembly and some state governors of frustrating the completion of some primary health care projects and polio eradication across the country.While the agency blamed the National Assembly of unnecessarily delaying the release of N8.6bn meant for the exercise, it blamed the state governors of making political commitments in the media which were never fulfilled.The acting Executive Secretary of NPHCDA, Dr. Adebayo Abanida, who said these during the handing over to his successor, Dr. Mohammed Ado, after three months and three weeks, stated that several primary health care projects amounting to N8.6bn had been abandoned due to the approach of the National Assembly in the matter.According to him, budgetary delays and non-release of funds have been a great challenge against completion of the projects over the years.Abanida, while highlighting the challenges he faced, also said that many state governments were not fully committed to the polio eradication and immunisation programmes.He said, We have challenges that are supposed to be technical but they are political. This is an evidence of what we inherited for a long time. Since 2001, we have had projects scattered all over the country with various degrees of completion to the tune of N8.6bn.Each time we go to the National Assembly during budget defence, we have a huge impression because of this, it becomes difficult. Even if money is available, the money comes late at such a time when it is impossible to do anything. So the money has to be returned to the treasury. And when it is returned, the projects become abandoned.We had challenges at times with collaboration with state governors. In the area of polio eradication, the political leadership at the federal level is very high and at the global level we have received almost a maximum support. And at the state level, the story sometimes is good and sometimes bad.Abanida added, Most of the governors dont support except on the pages of newspapers and they have never fulfilled their promises. As a result we had a lot of challenges. We have been having challenges in our resolve to rid Nigeria of diseases. At the state level, it has not been a good story; as a result, we have to continue to experience challenges which have made us to lose steam.Unfortunately, many of the states signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government, but many of them are not discharging their duties on the MoU.There should be an agreement among the federal, state and local governments to show what the state governments are supposed to do and what the local governments are supposed to do.In his response, the new NPHCDA executive secretary promised that his team would rise up to the occasion by building on the past achievements of the agency.He said, We would continue to push for the interruption of the wild polio virus transmission as a national priority, alongside expanding and sustaining the midwifery service scheme.
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