The Nigeria Senate on Thursday has asked the State House officials to stop the President, Muhammadu Buhari from going for foreign medical treatment in order to ensure the State House clinic becomes functional this year.
This warning was given by the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs, when the State House Permanent Secretary, Tijani Umar, appeared before it to defend the 2021 estimated budget of the State House.
Budget of ₦19.7bn for 2021 was presented by the State House officials, ₦1.3 billion of the budget was proposed for the State House Clinic.
In his reaction, the Chairman of the Senate Panel, Senator Danjuma La’ah, said the committee would approve the budget of the State House Clinic nut insisted that the President and other government top officials must no longer be flown abroad for medical treatment.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen after defending his budget, the Permanent Secretary promised to put all necessary arrangements in place to meet the medical requirements of the President and other top officials of the government as soon as the budget was approved.
Umar said, “We have appealed to the committee to assist us with the presidential wing of the State House Clinic.
“The N1.3bn is absolutely inadequate when you juxtapose the amount proposed, the labor, and the status of the principals that the project is going to serve.
“When compared with worldwide standards you 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.
“It is not correct to say the state house clinic is in comatose. It is not.”
