Atiku Urges Government to Prevent Misuse of $1 Billion Healthcare Loan Amid Animal Fund Scandals

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called for greater transparency regarding the use of the $1 billion loan secured from the International Development Association (IDA) for healthcare funding. He urged that the loan should not be at risk of being misused or “swallowed by animals,” referencing previous bizarre cases of public funds allegedly being consumed by creatures.

Atiku’s statement came in light of a recent history in which public funds have been said to vanish under mysterious circumstances. In 2018, a JAMB clerk in Benue claimed a snake had swallowed N36 million from her office vault. Following this, a former senator, Shehu Sani, cited a case where monkeys were said to have taken N70 million from a farmhouse, while in 2019, a gorilla allegedly consumed N6.8 million in Kano.

Speaking at a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, Finance Minister Wale Edun confirmed that the federal government had approved a total of $1.07 billion to finance healthcare reforms under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) program. The funds are sourced from IDA, with $500 million earmarked for governance improvements and another $500 million to enhance primary healthcare.

Atiku, however, raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the handling of such substantial funds. In a statement released on Sunday, he criticized the government’s failure to provide detailed breakdowns of how the $1 billion would be spent. He pointed out that the government had already proposed N2.48 trillion in the budget for the health sector, in addition to the foreign loans that would fund the reforms.

“The claims of animals such as snakes, termites, gorillas, and monkeys swallowing public funds must never be the fate of the funds budgeted for the critical sector of health,” Atiku said. “It is immoral for the government not to provide extensive details on how the $1 billion loan will be spent.”

He added, “Nigerians must know how this money will be allocated and ensure that the expenditure is tracked through a transparent policy framework. The lack of trust in the government’s administration of humanitarian services only heightens the need for clarity in managing such large loans.”

Atiku stressed that given Nigeria’s history of questionable handling of public funds, the government must ensure clear accountability and a robust mechanism for tracking the use of the $1 billion healthcare loan.