By Secrets Reporters
Two newly upgraded federal medical centres in Katsina and Kebbi States have begun operations with troubling financial records, documents obtained by SecretsReporters has revealed.
The Federal Medical Centre Daura, under the leadership of Dr. Umar Faruk Abdunajid, and the Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kebbi, led by Dr. Aliyu Hamza Balarabe, were among the institutions recently elevated from state general hospitals to federal tertiary health institutions under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. The move formed part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to expand access to tertiary healthcare and strengthen medical infrastructure across the country.
However, a review of their 2024 financial records has revealed a number of compliance concerns, highlighting some of the challenges facing institutions that are still adjusting to their new status and responsibilities as federal tertiary healthcare centres.
At the Federal Medical Centre Daura, which was upgraded from Daura General Hospital in 2023, investigators found irregularities amounting to ₦86,574,340.88 spread across three separate findings. A total of ₦54,275,399.60 was paid out without the underlying payment vouchers being revalidated as required. Another ₦19,991,766.28 was spent on procuring ICT facilities without the mandatory clearance from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). In addition, ₦12,307,175.00 was under-remitted from the required 25 per cent of internally generated revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
For the Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kebbi, the problem is even more fundamental. The hospital failed to submit independently reviewed financial statements for the year under review, with no monetary figure attached. While this is not a specific financial irregularity, it represents a complete compliance failure, leaving the hospital’s true financial position unverified by any external check for the year in question.
Taken together, both cases point to a common reality: newly upgraded federal medical centres are taking off with financial control systems that have not caught up with their new institutional status. From unrevalidated vouchers and a revenue-remittance shortfall in Daura to the total absence of audited accounts in Birnin Kebbi, the signs suggest administrative capacity is lagging behind the speed of these upgrades.
The rules that were broken are straightforward, and they are meant to protect public money and ensure that government institutions remain accountable. At Daura, payment vouchers worth ₦54.28 million were processed without the required revalidation before the money was released. At NITDA, ₦19.99 million was spent on government ICT procurement without the required clearance under the NITDA Act. Federal guidelines requiring 25 per cent of internally generated revenue to be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund were also not followed, leaving ₦12.31 million unremitted.
The situation was different at the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, but equally concerning. The centre did not submit its independently verified financial statements for the year under review. Beyond the paperwork, this means there was no independent confirmation of the hospital’s financial position for that period, making it harder for the public to see clearly how the institution managed its resources.
