A civil society organization, Good Governance Initiative (GGI), has urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to widen their investigation into alleged diversion of donor-funded health intervention funds, with particular attention to procurement and project implementation.
The group called for closer scrutiny of the activities of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), which implement health programmes supported by international donors.
GGI Coordinator, Eugene Morka, made the call in a statement on Thursday, expressing concern that weak procurement controls and inadequate oversight could expose funds intended for critical healthcare interventions to abuse.
Morka said the investigation should go beyond tracing financial transactions to examine how contracts were awarded and implemented.
He urged investigators to determine whether procurement processes were transparent, whether successful bidders met regulatory requirements and whether contractors possessed valid government certificates at the time of bidding.
According to him, scrutinizing the procurement chain would help establish whether contractors were qualified and whether due process was followed in the award and execution of projects funded through donor-supported health programmes.
The group also called for greater scrutiny of international donor agencies responsible for monitoring local implementing organizations.
GGI noted that the Global Fund has an audit department designed to reduce procurement risks, while information on successful bidders could also be obtained through the Freedom of Information framework.
Morka, however, said existing safeguards should not prevent authorities from independently investigating specific allegations of wrongdoing where credible concerns exist.
He described the reported collaboration between the FBI and EFCC as “timely and reassuring,” urging the agencies to examine financial records, procurement documents, company registration details and bank transactions connected to the programmes.
“We expect the EFCC to follow the money wherever it leads. If there was diversion, inflated expenditure or fictitious activities, the law must take its course,” Morka said.
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He, however, stressed that investigators should rely on evidence to prevent innocent individuals from being wrongly implicated.
The GGI coordinator further called for the publication of the investigation’s findings upon completion, including details of compliance certificates issued to contractors and implementing agencies.
The organization also urged authorities to recover any funds found to have been diverted and called on donor organizations to strengthen monitoring of their programmes in Nigeria.
GGI said tighter procurement controls, stronger supervision and greater transparency were necessary to ensure that funds provided for health interventions ultimately reach the people they were intended to serve.
