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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the utilisation of $4.6 billion grant received by Nigeria to combat HIV, tuberculosis and malaria between 2021 and 2025.
The fund, according to the parliament, consists of $1.8 billion and $2.8 billion grants received by the Global Fund and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), within the period under review.
Consequently, the House mandated its Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control to undertake the investigation and report back to it within four weeks for further legislative actions.
It also mandated the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, to furnish the parliament with the implementation plan and the approvals given to the National Assembly for the utilisation of the grants.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Philip Agbese calling for an investigation into the management of the grants.
He informed the House that the country received an estimated $1.8 billion as grants from the Global Fund to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria between 2021 and 2025.
He explained that this was in addition to another $2.8 billion grant from USAID to tackle HIV, malaria, polio and tuberculosis between 2022 and 2024.
He added that the country had also received over $6 billion in health assistance from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief from 2021 to 2025 to fight HIV/AIDS and build capacity of health and community systems.
However, the lawmaker, who stated that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social welfare is responsible for the utilisation of the grants from USAID, while the Country Coordinating Mechanism Nigeria is responsible for utilising and implementing the Global Fund grants, lamented that despite the huge financial commitment to the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, they still remain public health threats.
“In 2023, approximately 15,000 AIDS-related deaths occurred among Nigerian children aged between zero and 14years, while 51,000 AIDS-related deaths were recorded in the country, with Nigeria ranking third globally in HIV deaths, and also with the highest number of HIV cases in West and Central Africa.
“In the area of TB, Nigeria ranks first in Africa and sixth in the world, accounting for 4.6 percent global TB burden, while it bears the highest malaria burden globally, accounting for an estimated 26.6 percent of global cases and 31 percent of malaria deaths.”
Furthermore, Agbese stated that the UN Sustainable Development Goal has established a target of 2030 for all nations to ensure the elimination of HIV, TB and Malaria in their countries, for which if the status quo continues, Nigeria may likely not meet this target.
He expressed worry that if drastic steps were not taken to reassess and reevaluate the utilisation and implementation of the grants with the eighth replenishment in view, Nigeria might continue to suffer huge burdens and continue to lose its population to these diseases, thereby failing in the elimination of HIV, TB and Malaria by year 2030.
