A’Ibom Government in Questionable Fiscal moves over Ibom International Hospital Project
By Ekemini Simon
The Government of Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 announced the State Executive Council ratification of the award of contract and the formal handover of the proposed 350-bed Ibom International Hospital project to contractors.
The announcement was made by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah after the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council meeting.
“After considering the status report on the Ibom International Hospital project, a proposed 350-bed first-class medical facility, the Council ratified the Project Agreement, Award of Contract and the formal handover of the site to the contractors”, Umanah said
However, the review of the 2025 Approved Budget of the State, the Akwa Ibom State Fiscal Responsibility Law and the Akwa Ibom State Public Procurement Law shows that the Government of Akwa Ibom State is on a questionable fiscal path over the Ibom International Hospital project.
Concerns over Fiscal Responsibility
The Fiscal Responsibility Law of Akwa Ibom State provides that the prerequisite for all contract engagement must be the alignment with the annual budget, compliance with public procurement law and other due process regulations.
Specifically, Section 41 of the Akwa Ibom State Fiscal Responsibility Law provides that “All contracts with regards to the execution of annual budget shall comply with the Law, regulations and guidelines on-(a) public procurement and award of contract; and (b) due process and certification of contract.”
The Public Procurement Law of the State also provides that all procurements carried out in the State must first be approved in the budget.
Specifically, Section 16 (1g) of the Akwa Ibom State Public Procurement Law 2019 provides that ” All Procurements carried out by all procuring entities in the State shall, in all cases have procurement plans supported by prior budgetary appropriations; and no procurement proceedings or contracts shall be formalized until the procuring entity has ascertained that funds are available to meet the maturing obligation”.
A careful review of the 2025 Approved Budget of the State has shown that there is no budgetary provision for the proposed 350-bed Ibom International Hospital for the 2025 fiscal year. The failure to have the budgetary appropriations for the project flouts both the public procurement and the fiscal Responsibility Laws of the State. It also questions the reason behind the haste in building a project that is not yet appropriated for.
Meanwhile, critics have found fault with the proposed Ibom International Hospital project, questioning its necessity and priority over the existing Ibom Specialist Hospital, which a recent investigative report by Punch Newspaper has shown urgent need for completion and upgrade.
The concerns include the potential waste of resources and the possible abandonment of the Ibom Specialist Hospital which has N20bn voted in the 2025 budget for its completion.
Some Akwa Ibom people have suggested the need for the State Government to focus on fixing the existing Ibom Specialist hospital with the facilities earmarked for the International Hospital especially as the government had already prioritized it in its budget.
Government’s Defense
Contacted, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel said embarking on the Ibom International Hospital project would not deter the completion of Ibom Specialty Hospital which already has budgetary approval for the 2025 fiscal year.
The Commissioner said other medical institutions including a pharmaceutical manufacturing park would be provided together with the Ibom International Hospital and Ibom Specialty Hospital within the medical corridor which he said is located between Uyo and Ikot Ekpene.
The Commissioner who declined to give explanation on why the contract for the Ibom International Hospital project is awarded without it being captured in the 2025 approved budget claimed that his job is to focus on the technical aspects of the project and not budgetary provisions. He asked the reporter to channel his budgetary questions to authorities who have finance responsibility within the administration.
When TheMail Newspaper reached out to the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Linus Nkan he admitted that the Ibom International Hospital project is not provided for in the 2025 approved budget.
He noted that there is a plan by the government to capture the project amongst its priority projects in a Supplementary Budget he said will be presented to the House of Assembly next week.
When the newspaper asked for clarification on the provisions of the law to capture projects within the budget before procurement and what the government was practicing, the Commissioner said ” I can assure you that no dime will be spent on the project until it is approved in the Supplementary Budget that will be presented next week”. The defense by the Commissioner has been found to be questionable as it leaves more questions on where the State government got the authority to agree on a contract amount with the contractor of the project before legislative approval.
Failure to have budgetary backup poses Corruption Risk – CSO
Ibom Peer Foundation, a Civil Society Organisation working on fiscal transparency has said that the failure of the State Government to have a budgetary approval for the project before awarding a contract poses corruption risk for the project.
In an interview with this newspaper, the Executive Director of the organisation, Mfon Gabriel said “The project not having a budgetary approval is a red flag due to the corruption risk as the procurement process and implementation will not get oversight because the State Assembly can only carry out oversight over what it has approved.”
Gabriel said awarding contracts for a project outside budgetary or legislative approval is illegal and the implications will be that the government is setting a wrong and dangerous precedent by disregarding the inputs of the House of Assembly who are representing the people.
“It is an abuse against the Fiscal Responsibility Law and Public Procurement Law. That it fails to pass through a legislative process questions citizens input. For instance, we don’t even know what the need assessment was like. The voice of the citizens which the House of Assembly represents is not actually taken into consideration”, he added.
Gabriel said although he thinks the government will later go to the State Assembly for a Supplementary Budget, it is best practice for that to be done before contracts are awarded since it is the budget that will give the basis for engaging in any procurement dealing with contractors.