A ghost institution still drawing public funds? Shocking revelations from the House of Representatives expose a 15-year-old administrative loophole that has cost Nigerian taxpayers hundreds of millions of naira.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that 15 years after the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Abuja shut its doors, the institution continues to receive capital and recurrent allocations from the federal budget despite having no academic activity, no student population, and no regulatory approval to operate.
- A ghost institution still drawing public funds? Shocking revelations from the House of Representatives expose a 15-year-old administrative loophole that has cost Nigerian taxpayers hundreds of millions of naira.
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Now under the scrutiny of lawmakers, the little-known college has become a symbol of bureaucratic dysfunction and possible financial malpractice in Nigeria’s public health sector.
A Promising Vision Gone Astray
The Federal Government established the college in 2008, acting on the recommendation of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). Its purpose was to institutionalise the study and integration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), including homoeopathy, acupuncture, naturopathy, osteopathy, and chiropractic care, within Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system.
This move was grounded in the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Act, Cap. M8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which provided a legal framework for alternative medicine practice in the country.
However, the college’s academic ambitions quickly encountered regulatory roadblocks. In 2010, just two years after it was established, the National Universities Commission (NUC) shut it down for running unapproved degree programmes. That closure, effective from October 16, 2010, brought all formal academic activities to a halt.
The following year, the Federal Ministry of Health suspended the college’s management and set up an interim administrative team. But instead of winding down its operations, the institution continued to exist on paper and in the national budget.
A College Without Students, Still in Session on Paper
Despite being non-operational, the college has consistently received government funding for over a decade. According to Alex Egbona, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Speciality Healthcare, “The college has continued receiving annual budgetary provisions and allocations, expending capital and recurrent funds.”
Speaking at an investigative hearing in Abuja on Tuesday, Egbona revealed that the committee had received multiple petitions alleging unauthorised disbursement of funds, financial irregularities, and systemic abuse involving both the Ministry of Health and officials at the college.
Even more surprisingly, the federal government in 2016 appointed a staff member as Acting Head of Administration, seemingly to oversee the day-to-day running of an institution without academic activity. The implication: even after its closure and the suspension of its management, there were still personnel officially tasked with managing a defunct institution.
Allegations of Deep-Rooted Financial Misconduct
Speaker of the House Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Deputy Majority Leader Ibrahim Halims, described the situation as “alarming” and a sign of deeper systemic failure.
“Institutions designed to serve the public good must not become vessels for administrative opacity or financial recklessness,” Abbas stated.
He added that the House had received “numerous petitions indicating sustained financial irregularities over 16 years”, including unauthorised fund disbursement and possible mismanagement by officials connected to both the ministry and the college.
As a result, the House Committee has summoned the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Adekunle Salako, to provide clarity on the status of the college and the release of funds to it over the years.
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Whether the investigation results in accountability or becomes just another forgotten scandal remains to be seen.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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