Abuja –  President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that lapses that have characterised Nigeria as a nation will be corrected.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Femi Adesina, the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity in Abuja on Thursday.

Buhari, the statement said, made this known when he received a team led by Dr Seth Berkley, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi and The Global Fund in State House, Abuja.

He said he was impressed with the patience and steadfastness of leading supporters of health care in Nigeria, “despite our shortcomings as a nation”.

“We are making genuine efforts to correct the lapses. We are very serious about people behaving themselves, and being accountable.

“We thank you for deciding to re-engage with us, despite our inefficiencies.

“You decided to be here, not minding our shortcomings. There are other countries that will bring less problems.

“We appreciate your commitment, and we will do our best to put ourselves in the best shape to help us,’’ he said.

Related News

Berkley noted that the three focal points of the Buhari’s administration; security, economic development, and anti-corruption were critical to the future of Nigeria.

He said it also raised issues over the way donor funds for health care were utilised in the past.

He said Gavi and the Global Fund were disappointed when forensic audit revealed systemic weaknesses and corruption in the utilisation of funds given in the past.

According to him, there is now a “breath of fresh air” under President Buhari’s leadership and fight against corruption.

He expressed the readiness of the organisations to “close the books of the past, and look into future support”.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who was also at the event, disclosed that those indicted in the audit of the donor funds had already been questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and would be arraigned in court soon.

The Nigerian Observer reports that the audit report of the donor funds was done between 2010 and 2015.