Pascal Arogorn Ibe
The Permanent Secretary of the State House , Tijani Umar , has said the N 1. 3bn approved for Villa clinic was too small .
He spoke in an interview with journalists on Thursday after defending 2012 budget estimate before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs State .
The Permanent Secretary who promised to put necessary arrangements in place to meet the medical needs of the President and other top officials once the budget was approved said , “ The N 1. 3bn is absolutely inadequate when you juxtapose the amount proposed, the labour, and the status of the principals that the project is going to serve.
“ When compared with worldwide standards , you ’ ll see that it is not anything near what we need .
“ It ( the clinic) , is considered a legacy project for us because we want to leave something down.
“ We have realigned some many things and one of the fundamental challenges we have dealt with is the sustainable supply of drugs and consumables . ”
Earlier, the Senate told officials of the State House to discourage President Muhammadu Buhari from foreign trips for medical treatment by ensuring that the State House clinic becomes functional .
The State House official had presented a budget of N 19. 7bn for 2021, out of which N 1. 3bn was proposed for the State House Clinic. The Chairman of the Senate panel, Senator Danjuma La ’ ah , said the committee would approve the budget for the State House Clinic but the President and other top officials should no longer be flown abroad for medical treatment .
He said , “ Our President is not a man to be taken out anytime or whenever anything happens to him on sickness matter . ”
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