State House Clinic received N1.2 billion (N1, 195,257, 021) between 2015 and 2017, as expenditure, the presidency said on Sunday.

The amount consists of N970 million (N969, 681, 821.53) for capital projects and N226 million (N225, 575, 200.60) for recurrent expenditure, Mr Attah Esa, a deputy director Information said in an official statement.

The hospital and its management have come under intense criticism from Nigerians including Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mrs. Buhari lamented lack of basic amenities despite the allocations to the hospital, calling for probe.

“I called the Aso Clinic to find out if they have an X-Ray machine, they said it’s not working,” she said in Abuja last week.

“In the end I had to go to a hospital owned and operated by foreigners 100 per cent.

“There is a budget for the Hospital and if you go there now, you will see a number of constructions going on but they don’t have a single syringe there. What is the purpose of the buildings if there are no equipment there to work with?”

The president’s daughter, Zahra, had expressed similar views about lack of basic drugs at the hospital, used mainly by the officials and staff of the presidency and other top government functionaries.

PT