By Secrets Reporters
Investigation reveals ₦624 million in financial irregularities across six findings at the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Referral Hospital and Training Centre, Zaria, under Dr. Labaran Shehu
Documents obtained by SecretsReporters show that the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Referral Hospital and Training Centre, Zaria, recorded ₦624,149,871.84 in financial irregularities across six findings for the 2023 financial year.
Fifteen payments for capital expenditure worth ₦209,576,146.55 and twenty-eight payments for overhead expenditure worth ₦5,820,604.97 together totaling ₦215,396,751.52 were made by the Centre with no paid vouchers or supporting documents presented for verification. None of the payments were posted to the Centre’s cash book.
Section 85(2) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees the Auditor-General access to all books, records and documents relating to public accounts. Paragraph 601 of the Financial Regulations 2009 prohibits any cheque being raised or cash paid for a service without a voucher first being raised.
The records also show that ₦130,154,781.73 was spent procuring ICT software and equipment without the mandatory clearance of the National Information Technology Development Agency. Another ₦123,257,921.50 in capital funds released to the Centre went unaccounted for. Contracts worth ₦86,000,335.80 were deliberately split to circumvent tender procedures. ₦49,500,000.00 was misapplied outright. And ₦19,840,081.29 in 1% stamp duty went un-deducted and unremitted to the relevant tax authority.
Shehu is no stranger to the institution. Public records show he has appeared as the Centre’s head on multiple occasions between 2017 and 2019, including responding to a fire incident at the facility and addressing recruitment fraud allegations. In other words, the financial control failures detailed in this report occurred at an institution that had been led by the same person for more than a decade.
