The Senate and the Federal Government have disagreed over lack of consultation with the National Assembly before announcing crucial national policies.
The Senate Committee on Health on Thursday faulted the conversion of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to a Presidential Steering Committee by the Federal Government without consultations with the National Assembly.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Yahaya Ibrahim Oloriegbe, spoke at a public hearing on a Bill titled: “Federal Medical Centre, Mubi, Adamawa State (Establishment) Bill, 2021” in Abuja.
He faulted the conversion of the PTF to a steering committee on COVID-19 while reacting to the submission of the Ministry of Health on Senate Bills seeking to establish and upgrade existing healthcare facilities to tertiary institutions.
Tit for tat
The Ministry had, in its memorandum to the Committee, faulted moves by the Senate to upgrade a general hospital in Mubi, Adamawa State to a Federal Medical Centre (FMC), saying there was already a teaching hospital in the state.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz Mashi Abdullahi, who represented the Minister of Health, had said that there was need for consultation with the Ministry before such bills seeking to establish or upgrade existing healthcare facilities are drafted and presented.
Oloriegbe however faulted the Ministry’s position, insisting that it is the executive that often neglects to consult with the National Assembly before announcing crucial policies or embarking on programmes.
Oloriegbe said: “Talking about consultation, of course, as you agreed and alluded that this (Public Hearing) is part of consultation.
“However, let me just state as a matter of procedure, just like Distinguished Senator (Kashim) Shettima said, agenda setting is that of the National Assembly.
“But I want to say that we even consult you more in the executive than how you consult us.
“Because the executive can always say we are the policy makers. For example, I can make it public, I was listening to the radio yesterday and I heard that the PTF (on COVID-19) has been converted to a steering committee.
“We were not consulted in terms of what will be the operational mechanism and so on.
“I am just trying to say I will have my Clerk invite you (Permanent Secretary) to come and explain to us the process of that response because we represent Nigeria.
“What is the content of that conversion? How will the steering committee work? We were not consulted but we don’t mind but as part of our oversight we will come back and ask you.”
Oloriegbe also noted that there are five states in Nigeria that have both a Federal Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres, some of whose populations and landmass, he said, were not up to that of Adamawa state.
Widening support
Senators Danjuma Goje and Kashim Shettima supported the Bill to upgrade a general hospital in Mubi to a Federal Medical Centre in spite of the Federal Ministry of Health’s concerns.
Goje said: “Mr. Chairman, you have really hit the nail on the head. Adamawa’s request for a Federal Medical Centre Mubi, is justified.
“The Federal Ministry of Health has no reason whatsoever to try to sabotage this Bill. We will not agree at all.”
On his part, Shettima said: “I want to align myself with the position taken by Senator Danjuma Goje.
“It is not for the Federal Ministry of Health to dictate to us how we should run this nation.
“Taking into cognizance the calibre of people that are here, that buttresses the urgent need for us to bring into being the Federal Medical Centre Mubi.
“With all due respect to the Permanent Secretary, Mubi is one community that was destroyed by the Boko Haram.
“If you don’t have the resources, then you can tell us and we will find a window through the NEDC (North East Development Commission) for instance to fund the project.
“But for the Federal Government or any organization for that matter to come out and say no it is not part of our agenda, we are the agenda setters and we are setting the agenda that let there be a Federal Medical Centre Mubi.”
The Permanent Secretary, in his response, said: “I don’t have much to say rather than to tell this Committee that all you have said is duly noted by the Ministry.
“On the issue of consultation, in fact, this public hearing is one of the consultations. In the initial conception of the Bill, there is nothing bad in coming to the Ministry of Health to get our input.
“But the essence of any policy is towards delivery of services and more so when Health is involved, there is no way any arm of government would say that it is not something that would be beneficial to humanity and then object to it.
“I want to assure you that all these comments have been noted and we will take them back to the Ministry and we will get back to you.”
Earlier, the sponsor of the Bill, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, justified the need to establish a Federal Medical Centre in Mubi, Adamawa State.
She said: “We strongly believe that the peculiar circumstances of Adamawa State both in terms of distances, population, accessibility and history justifies the establishment of both tertiary health care facility in the state. Mubi provides the ideal location for the FMC.”
