Reps grill PTF over covid-19 funds 

A joint Committee of the House of Representatives has engaged the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to account for funds allocated and donated to the fight against the dreaded virus.

At the meeting in Abuja, the chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; as well as the Minister of Health, Professor Osagie Ehanire, were represented by permanent secretaries.

Members of the PTF who physically attended included the National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu.

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On why the members of the PTF were summoned, the chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts and leader of the joint committees, Mr Wole Oke, said it was to find out the expenditure by the PTF‎.

He added that it was to ensure some of the “insinuations” over COVID-19 funds were cleared.

Giving account of the fund, the permanent secretary, office of the SGF, Olusegun Adekunle, explained that the total sum of N22,163,130,411‎ had so far been released to the PTF’s operations account‎.

He said out of the amount, “What has been utilised is N164,929,475 to cater for the management of the affairs of returnees (evacuees) from different parts of the world.”

Adekunle added that the balance remained in the account opened‎ by the Accountant-General of the Federation with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

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