N22.1bn released so far to fight COVID-19 in Nigeria – SGF office

Boss Mustapha, SGF and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19

The Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Olusegun Adekunle, has said that a total sum of N22,163,130,411‎ had so far been released to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 PTF’s operations account.

He further stated that out of this money, N164,929,475 had been utilized to cater for the management of the affairs of returnees (evacuees) from different parts of the world.

Adekunle disclosed this while representing the Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and appearing before a joint committee of the House of. Representatives to account for the funds allocated and donated to the fight against the pandemic

The permanent secretary added that the balance remains in the account,opened by the Accountant-General of the Federation with the Central Bank of Nigeria

Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts and leader of the joint committees, Mr Wole Oke, said the engagement was to monitor the expenditure by the PTF‎ and clear the air on “insinuations” about COVID-19 funds.

Also in attendance at the meeting, were Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu; and the National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu