OYO STATE SPENT N2.8 BILLION ON FIGHTING AGAINST COVID-19 PANDEMIC: N900b on palliatives...N321b for buying ambulancs...N118m on UCH; We didn’t receive any money from Oyo, says UCH

The Government said the N378million cash raised from willing donors including individuals and corporate donors is still intact in the dedicated accounts but that all the expenditures so far are from the state coffers.

The Government gave the update through the State Commissioner of Finance, Mr Akinola Ojo while addressing Newsmen at the Governors’ Office, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan.

According to Ojo, while N900 million was spent on palliatives and seedlings for affected farmers, about N370 milion was spent on the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo.

Additionally, the commissioner who was flanked by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr Taiwo Adisa said N453million has been spent on security and securing the state borders on the right against covid-19, N156million to be paid to healthworkers, including volunteers and medical and health workers as allowances.

Also, he said the sum of N118m was given to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan as support, N321million used in buying ambulances to support the ministry of health and N614 spent on reagents, consumables, tests and cost of treating the patients in the state.

He noted that the state has also got a reassurance of the Federal Government through the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for financial support of N100million but which is still been awaited.

Ojo said overall, the cash and materials donations received so far by the state from the various individual and corporate donors currently stands at N1.177billion saying the Coalition Against Covid-19 (CaCovid) alone donated items to the tune of N250million.

But Less than 24 hours after the Oyo State Govenrment revealed how it has spent N2.7 billion on coronavirus pandemic, the University College Hospital, UCH, has refuted claim that it got N118Million from Oyo state government.

In a statement on Wednesday by Toye Akinrinlola, UCH public relations officer, said apart from 250 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE), the hospital did not receive any money from the state government.

“The attention of the management of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan has been drawn to the content of a press release from the Oyo State Government that the sum of N118 million was given to the hospital to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” it read.

“The press release quoted the Oyo State Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Akinola Ojo as saying the said amount was released to UCH.

“We contacted some officials of Oyo State for a clarification on this, but it seems there is a misunderstanding in the difference between the College of Medicine of the University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital Ibadan. It therefore behoves the Management of the UCH to put the record straight.

“We hereby state emphatically that the University College Hospital, Ibadan did not and has not received any monetary donation from the Oyo State Government.”

According to Akinrinola, since the UCH chief medical director is a member of the Oyo state COVID-19 task force, “he would know if any money was given to UCH outside the 250 pieces of the PPE given to the hospital”.

He said all services to the state by UCH have been strictly humanitarian, with no financial benefits attached.

“UCH has been able to cope with the rigours of pandemic through donations from the NCDC (an organ of the Federal Government), some corporate bodies, well meaning Nigerians, Alumni associations of the hospital, staff and students of the hospital,” he said.

“I therefore wish to say once again that the UCH is not in receipt of any N118m as claimed by the Oyo State Governmenment."