Date: 2020-05-04

True to its aspiration to bring government closer to the people in line with democratic ethics, this administration has always uploaded relevant documents for the use and assessment of our internal and external audience. Because of the bulky nature of government business, most of these documents often come in summaries. On February 12, the Ministry of Finance and Planning uploaded the 2019 Fourth Quarter Budget Implementation Performance which again points up unprecedented commitment of the administration to transparency and human capital development of the state . However, some persons have misconstrued the summary nature of the document, especially the capital expenditure for the health sector in the 4th quarter, which fully complies with the International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS).

The total capital expenditure for the health sector in the quarter stood at N8,889,388,938.00. We wish to confirm that the sums are indeed the entire capital expenditure for the sector in the quarter. However, it should be noted that the said amount came under two categories: Capital Expenditure aids and grants receipts and Capital Expenditure non-aids and grants.

The first (aids and grants receipts) came from the Federal Government and or development partners, while the second one was strictly government's expenditure. Out of that N8,889,388,938.00, only N68,339,252 was government's expenditure (non-aids and grants). The rest, N8,821,049,686, was purely aids and grants receipts from the Federal Government and various development partners.

The breakdown of the aids and grants receipts for the quarter is as follows: Federal Ministry of Health (N1,837,554,225.00); Neglected Tropical Diseases (N6,876,366,301.00); UNICEF Support Child Survival Programme (N66,531,212.00); and Saving One Million Lives Programmes (40,597,948.00). That comes to N8,821,049,686.

*It is important to mention for the record that aids and grants are almost entirely in form of vaccines and training (not cash) given to the state by the Federal Government and development partners. And this is one of the many fruits of the counterpart funds that the government has paid.*

For the non-aids and grants, the government spent a total of N68,339,252.00 in the quarter. The sums of N3,980,000 was spent on laboratory equipment in October;

another N620,000 was spent on Hospital repair in October; N20m was spent to construct an isolation centre at Sobi Specialist Hospital (October); N1m was spent on a family planning programme in November; N32,521,251.95 was spent on purchase of drugs in December; N881,000 was spent on the preparation of Bill of Quantities of hospitals to be fixed statewide; Kwara Eye Care programme gulped N4.9m in December; Logistics Management Coordinating Unit gulped N3m in December; while N1,437,000 went into Drug Control in the same month.

We have gone into this detail to set the record straight for the benefit of members of the public who may have been misled by mischief from some quarters.

It's important to state that the humongous support and goodwill that Kwara State now receives from development partners is purely as a result of the commitment of the new administration to the welfare of the people, as reflected from the many counterpart funds it has paid since coming on board in May, 2019.

Thank you.

*Rafiu Ajakaye,*

*CPS to the Governor.*