Senate Bars Presidency From Medical Tourism
President Stopped from Going Abroad For Medicals
Mohammadu Buhari, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
To save funds and bring down the high cost of governance, the Nigeria Senate has issued a warning to State House officials that, henceforth, President Muhammadu Buhari should stop embarking on foreign trips for medical attention. According to the Senate, rather than allow President Buhari to jet out to seek medical attention and treatment, the government and state house officials should this year, but the State House Clinic in order for such purposes.
The State House official have presented a budget of N19.7bn for 2021, out of which N1.3bn was proposed for the State House Clinic. In his reaction to the budget estimates, the Chairman of the Senate panel, Senator Danjuma La’ah explained that though the committee would approve the budget for the State House Clinic, the President and other top officials of his government should no longer be flown abroad for medical treatment.
Speaking with journalists after defending his budget, the Permanent Secretary promised to put necessary arrangements in place to meet to medical needs of the President and other top officials once the budget was approved.
The warning was given by Senator Danjuma La’ah, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kaduna South-led Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs, when the State House Permanent Secretary, Tijani Umar, appeared before the panel to defend his 2021 budget estimates.
