The #FollowTheMoney Bullet Team during its data mining session scraped data from the 2016 Federal Ministry of Health Appropriation. It was revealed that N10.5 million ($34,426) was earmarked for the rehabilitation of Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Afia Nsit Urua Nko, Nsit Ibom LGA, Akwa Ibom State with the implementation agency being NPHCDA. Afia Nsit Urua Nko has an esimated population of about 3000. The PHC serves about 20 patients per day (600 per month) especially under 5 children and nursing mothers from around 3 villages. In addition, the PHC lacks improved ante-natal care infrastructure; has no emergency transport & water supply; and has poor sanitation & one CHEW.

Afia Nsit PHC

Afia Nsit PHC

Ward Afia NsitIt doesn’t run 24/7; can’t admit a patient as a result of insufficient infrastructure; and there are no medical doctor, electricity & quarters for hospital staffers. The locals had to resort to traditional ways of delivering babies because of the PHC’s reprehensible state. As at October 2016, the implementation of the N10.5 million has not started.

We have initiated the #RehabilitateAfiaNsit campaign to track the implementation of the N10.5 million. We would use the social media, traditional media, FOIA backed letters, cartoon illustration, community outreach and stakeholder engagement to track the implementation. This is in line with our Follow The Money Program through which we track governmental spending of capital funds intended for local communities in order to safeguard transparency and accountability and mainstream citizen engagement in governance.

Afia Nsit Ward

Afia Nsit Ward

This Follow the Money campaign calls on all concerned public and private agencies to uphold the public interest through accountable and transparent management of the funds that have been released to rehabilitate the PHC in #AfiaNsitUruaNko. We invite the public to get involved in the Campaign today. Help us follow the money to rehabilitate the PHC for local community members that do not have access to efficient health care provision. This would help to build human capital through improving their health, and ability to fend for themselves.

 

Follow the Money Visit the Community Again to Ascertain the Work of the Contractor

Our Community reporter confirmed that work is currently on-going at the PHC as the rehabilitation started 3 weeks ago. It was further confirmed from the NPHCDPA that the rehabilitation work would take 8 weeks to completion. The staff quarter has been re-painted and the mosquito nets fixed on the windows. Though the PHC is gradually having a new lease of life, a lot is yet to be done, we will be following the rehabilitation work till the end.

Read more here

Follow The Money Meets the MD of Krisbass Ventures Ltd, the contractor implementing our #RehabilitateAfiaNsit Campaign

The Follow The Money Team met with the MD of Krisbass Ventures Ltd, the contractor implementing #RehabilitateAfiaNsit Campaign. At the meeting, the MD briefed us about his progress with the rehabilitation and shared challenges being encountered. He commented that he has received only 15% of the NGN 18.6 million. The MD showcased sincere commitment in executing the contract clinically.

NPHCDA Responded to our Freedom of Information with the Contracting Document

28th February 2017: The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) responded to our October 2016 sent Freedom of Information letter with the contracting document for the healthcare centre.

Response from the Government of Akwa Ibom State

03rd January, 2017: The State Government of Akwa Ibom sent a response advising us to route our FOIA to the Saving One Million Lives Programme Coordinator in the Ministry of Health as they are in charge of the program.

Click here for the response 

Stakeholder engagement at Ete-Idung’s palace

3 December, 2016: Our team conducted a town hall meeting at the Ete-Idung’s palace, on the PHC’s rehabilitation and the fund implementation. In attendance were the host community leaders headed by the Ete Idung (Village Head), the Community Secretary, youth leader, Director of NPHCDA Akwa Ibom State Liaison Office, Director of Nsit Ibom LGA Primary Health Facility and the Officer-In-Charge of the PHC. In all, a total of 48 persons were present. Read more…

The contracting process of the N10.5 m rehabilitation fund is still ongoing

10 November 2016: The NPHCDA replied our FOI Request explaining that the contracting process of the 10.5 million is still on and so they could not give us the costed work plan. We still on their necks to know what exactly would become of this appropriation. Find their reply here.

Media Engagement on #RehabilitateAfiaNsit

9 November 2016: We were on air for a radio programme on #RehabilitateAfiaNsit on CoolFM in Abuja. Listen here

Freedom of Information (FOI) Requests sent to key stakeholders

31 October 2016: Following the revelations, we got from tracking the fund, we immediately sent out FOI requests to key stakeholders to know what was happening to the N10.5 million, and why no sort of implementation of the fund is going on already. The requests were sent to the Federal Ministry of Health and the NPHCDA, asking after the costed work plan of the N10.5 million and the contractor. Find the FOI requests here.

We were not aware of the rehabilitation fund, said Afia Nsit Urua Nko stakeholders

27 October, 2016: While we engaged local stakeholders at the community, it was clear that the local stakeholders were not aware of the N10.5 million appropriation in any sense. This shows again that local stakeholders are not carried along in budgetary processes at the Federal Level. This also weakens citizen engagement, and transparency & accountability in governmental spending.

The FTM team with the Ete Udung of Afia Nsit Urua Nko, Ete Smart Inyang  at his palace

No sort of rehabilitation going on at the PHC

26 October 2016: The team embarked on an on-site visitation to Afia Nsit Urua Nko to know if the implementation of the N10.5 million has started in the PHC. It was found out that there was no sort of implementation going on and 2016 has almost ended. The local stakeholders such as the Officer In Charge of the PHC, the Ete Udung of the community etc. all lamented over the terrible state of the PHC.

There is a video, this is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZftS1R0awWQ&feature=youtu.be