People living with HIV/AIDS in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and (EFCC) to beam its searchlight on the project manager of the FCT Agency for the Control of AIDS (FACA), Dr. Uche Okoro, over alleged financial impropriety.
Arising from a meeting of the coordinators of support groups of people living with HIV/AIDS in FCT under the aegis of Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), held in Kubwa, the HIV/AIDS patients also called for immediate sack of Okoro.
The group further threatened to embark on mass street protest in Abuja if the FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, failed to meet their demands within one week.
According to a communiqué signed by FCT Coordinator of NEPWHAN, John Okene, the association arrived at this resolution following the “continuous insensitivity of the FACA project manager to their need and his lack of transparency with funds meant for their upkeep.”
The communiqué said: “The house resolved that Dr Uche Okoro, project manager of FACA, should be removed from office as a matter of urgency and replaced with someone who can feel the pulse of people living with HIV/ AIDS.
“We call on the EFCC, as a matter of urgency, to investigate $225 million from the World Bank to support the HIV/AIDS intervention in FCT.”
The group said it had also declared a two-days fasting and prayer for the removal of Okoro for sending some of its members to their early grave due to lack of care and support.
They opposed the exclusion of NEPWHAN FCT from the implementation of the World Bank HIV/ AIDS project presently ongoing.
According to NEPWHAN, FCT chapter, their Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Care (PMCTC) Mothers are now forced to pay for caesarian section in all FCT health facilities except the National Hospital, which is not supposed to be so.
“We have not received anything from FACA as claimed in Abuja Inquirer of April 14-20, 2014. We are not opposed to any proof by FACA if presented.
“Finally, we appeal to the Minister of FCT to quickly respond to our protest letter before him to avoid another round of protest since the supervisory body, FACA remain as insensitive as ever not minding whether our members are dying or not.”
However, when contacted for his reaction, Okoro dismissed the allegations, saying that they were false.
He denied knowledge of or even his involvement in the said N2.9 million.
