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The House of
Representatives has compelled the Ministry of Defence to build a
specialist military hospital as budgeted for in 2010 instead of using
the fund to upgrade existing military hospitals in the country.
Briefing members of the House committee on Defence yesterday, the
Director of Finance at the Defence Headquarters, Daniel Bako, had said
the shortfall in the available funds, is compelling the ministry to
replace the plan with the upgrade of existing military clinics. Mr Bako
said out of the 13 capital projects of the Defence Headquarters in
2010, only the contract for the hospital was yet to be awarded due to
the cash constraint.

HE said over
N2billion will be required in 2011 to commence the construction of the
specialist hospital and also renew the clinics located within military
barracks across the country.

But the House
committee, headed by Wole Oke, turned down the proposition, insisting
that the specialist hospital must be constructed as contained in the
2010 budget.

“This project has a
history, and it is a request from your own end. We may not agree on
this suggestion, but rather if you are asking for more funds, then you
can let us know. Our position therefore is that the budget Act must be
respected,” Mr Oke said.

The N4.5
billion-facility is planned as pivot of military health supply in the
country and is to be funded annually for three years.

In 2010, only N561 million was released for the work against a projected annual average release of N1 billion.

The committee
argued that the amount so far released, though insufficient, should
have been applied for preliminary work on the project while sourcing
for more funds.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Committee on Barracks Rehabilitation
(PCRB), headed by Binta Muazu, has been directed to pay its contractors
immediately. The committee has also been given until February 15, 2011
to present a comprehensive report of its 2010 budget implementation to
the house committee.