Reps Summon Minister Over Alleged Misuse of Funds in Dormant Health College

The House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Adekunle Salako, to appear before its Committee on Speciality Healthcare over allegations of financial misappropriation linked to the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Abuja. The directive was issued on Tuesday during an investigative hearing into the long-dormant institution.

Chairman of the committee, Alex Egbona, stated that the summon became necessary due to serious concerns over the college’s operations, particularly the continued release of significant budgetary allocations despite its non-operational status. The Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, established by the federal government in 2008, suspended academic activities in 2010 following a directive from the National Universities Commission (NUC). Its management was also suspended.

“Despite the shutdown of academic activities and suspension of its management, the college has continued to receive annual budgetary allocations, with capital and recurrent expenditures running into hundreds of millions of naira,” Egbona revealed. He added that the committee has received multiple petitions alleging financial mismanagement and unauthorized fund disbursement involving officials from the ministry and the college’s management.

The resolution to investigate the institution’s activities was passed by the House on May 7, 2025. The lawmakers are also probing the NUC’s decision to halt academic activities at the college, its prolonged dormancy, and reported breaches of the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Act, 2021, which was enacted in 2021 to provide a legal framework for its pursuits in alternative medicine.

Given the Minister’s supervisory role over the college, he is expected to provide a detailed account of the institution’s current status, including explanations for the continued release of funds despite its non-operational state and its failure to comply with its enabling Act. The House committee stressed its commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery through robust legislative intervention and ensuring accountability in specialized health institutions.