Atiku Abubakar has asked the federal government to publish records showing what happened to the N10 billion approved for Ebola preparedness, after the APC Presidential Campaign Council said the money remained untouched.
The former vice-president wants release documents, account records and expenditure reports, as well as an explanation of who controls the fund and why it has not been used for the announced preparations.
His demand came in a Friday statement issued on his behalf by Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council. It followed the APC council’s defence of the government’s response to the confirmed Ebola case in Abuja.
The Presidency had announced in June that President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate release of N10 billion for Ebola emergency preparedness. Atiku asked the government to clarify whether the money had actually been released; if not, he asked why an immediate-release order had been announced.
Premium Times reported that the APC council, in an October 22 statement signed by spokesperson Dele Alake, said the money had not been disbursed. The council said the NCDC, FAAN and other surveillance agencies had used other available resources for the response.
Alake accused Atiku of politicising the emergency and said federal agencies deserved credit for detecting the case and taking steps to prevent its spread. Atiku maintained that asking for financial records did not diminish the work of health officials.
He also sought a response timeline: when Ebola was first suspected, when public health authorities were alerted, when testing was ordered and when contact tracing began. He called for health workers treating the patient and tracing contacts to receive adequate protection, equipment and resources.
The dispute follows separate legislative demands for response funding. NaijaTrend reported the Senate and House resolutions here. Atiku asked the government to disclose amounts disbursed, payment dates, contracts, beneficiaries and items delivered.
Sources: Premium Times, Daily Trust
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