Group urges FBI, EFCC to widen donor health funds probe

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officials. Photo: EFCC

A civil society group, Good Governance Initiative, has urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to expand their probe into alleged diversion of donor-funded health intervention funds to cover procurement and project implementation.

The group said the investigation should particularly scrutinise the activities of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme, which are involved in implementing health programmes funded by international donors.

The GGI Coordinator, Eugene Morka, made the call in a statement on Thursday, warning that weak procurement controls and inadequate oversight could expose funds meant for healthcare interventions to abuse.

Morka said investigators should not limit their inquiry to financial transactions but should also examine how contracts were awarded and implemented.

“To truly protect critical health programmes, the investigation must thoroughly examine the integrity of procurement processes, contractor eligibility, compliance requirements and programme implementation,” he said.

He urged the investigators to determine whether contracts were awarded transparently and whether the companies that won the bids met the required regulatory conditions.

Morka also called for checks on whether contractors had valid government certificates when they participated in the bidding process.

According to him, examining the procurement chain would help establish whether contractors were qualified and whether due process was followed in the award and execution of projects financed through donor-funded health programmes.

The group also called for closer scrutiny of international donor agencies responsible for monitoring local implementing organisations.

The organisation noted that the Global Fund has a dedicated audit department aimed at reducing procurement risks, while information on successful bidders could be obtained through the Freedom of Information framework.

It added that corporate information on companies that participate in bids is forwarded to relevant regulatory authorities after the opening of bids.

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Morka, however, said the existence of such safeguards should not stop investigators from examining specific allegations of wrongdoing.

“While these mechanisms provide useful safeguards, specific corruption allegations must still be independently examined wherever credible concerns exist,” he said.

The group said its engagements with anti-corruption authorities suggested that procurement compliance was receiving greater attention, particularly in cases involving companies allegedly unable to provide valid government certificates or suspected of benefiting from political connections.

Describing the FBI-EFCC collaboration as timely, Morka said cooperation between the two agencies could help uncover how funds meant for health interventions were managed.

“The decision by the FBI and EFCC to work together is timely and reassuring,” he said.

He urged the agencies to examine financial records, procurement documents, company registration details and bank transactions linked to the programmes.

“We expect the EFCC to follow the money wherever it leads. If there was diversion, inflated expenditure or fictitious activities, the law must take its course,” Morka said.

He also urged the investigators to ensure that their findings were based on evidence so that innocent individuals were not wrongly implicated.

He called on the FBI and EFCC to publish their findings when the investigation is concluded, particularly details concerning compliance certificates issued to contractors and implementing agencies.

GGI further urged the recovery of any funds found to have been diverted and called on donor organisations to strengthen monitoring of their programmes in Nigeria.

The group said tighter procurement controls, closer supervision of implementing agencies and greater transparency would help ensure that donor funds reach the people for whom they were provided.