Reps to probe fund disbursement at Abuja College of alternative medicine

The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, resolved to investigate the activities of the College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Abuja, including the disbursement of funds to it by the Federal Government.

The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion during Wednesday’s plenary, sponsored by Hon. Jonathan Gbefwi and four other members.

The Federal Government had in 2008, acting on the recommendation of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, established the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Abuja, as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Health.

Recall that the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Act, Cap. M8. Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 provided the legal basis for the practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Nigeria in relation to the practice of Homoeopathic Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine. Acupuncture, Osteopathy, and Chiropractic in Nigeria.

In 2018, the Federal Government, through the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, created a Department of Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine in the Federal Ministry of Health with the task of developing and integrating Complementary and Alternative Medicine into the mainstream of the Nigerian Health Care Delivery System.

Speaking on the motion, Gbefwi noted that the National Assembly passed the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Establishment) Act, 2021, as an unconventional institution for the pursuit of academic and professional knowledge in the field of complementary and alternative medicine in Nigeria.

“The House is concerned that the College has remained closed since October 16, 2010, following the shutdown of academic activities of the College by the National Universities Commission for running degree programmes without the mandatory approvals and due process

“We are disturbed that in 2011, the Federal Ministry of Health suspended the management of the College and instituted an Interim Administrative Team to manage its affairs, expending capital and overhead allocations amounting to hundreds of millions of naira for over 13 years.

“The government later in 2016, again, appointed a staff member of the College as Acting Head of Administration to ensure the day-to-day running of the college.

“We are worried by the allegations of unauthorised disbursement of funds, petitions and counter petitions to the financial crimes and anti-corruption agencies by staff of the College over financial impropriety by officials of the Ministry of Health and Management Staff of the College. ”

The House also expressed worry over what it called “The flagrant non-compliance with the provisions of the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Act, 2021 and appointment of a Sole Administrator in breach of an Act of the National Assembly.”

According to the Gbefwi, “The House is worried by the petitions and allegations of suspensions, non-payment of staff benefits and outright dismissal of some staff of the College by the Sole Administrator and employment of new staff without due process.”

Following the overwhelming support for the motion, the House at a plenary session presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas mandated the Committee on Speciality Healthcare to investigate the allegations of unauthorised disbursement and application of funds to the College.

The committee was also mandated to probe the closure of academic activities of the College by the NUC, continued non-functionality of the College and non-compliance with provisions of the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Act, 2021.

Source: Punch