By Our Correspondent
The last may not have been heard of the crisis rocking the Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta as the House of Representatives Committee on Health is scheduled to pay an assessment visit to the Center on Tuesday.
Apart from the visit, it was also gathered that some stakeholders had also insist that the Medical Director of the Frontline Federal Institution in Abeokuta, Prof. Adewale Musa Olomu must purge himself of all corrupt allegations levelled against him.
Joining the array of those calling for sanitisation of the center is a non governmental organization, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) who recently petitioned the Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders on the crisis rocking the Federal Medical Center in Abeokuta and the need for thorough investigation and possible prosecution of individuals found culpable.
It could be recalled that earlier, a non governmental organization, All Youths Re-Oriented Initiative Of Nigeria (AYRION) some times ago petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission to investigate corruption allegations against the Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prof. Adewale Olomu.
The petition was sequel to a ruling by a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, that the non-governmental organisation had no locus standi to prosecute the MD.
But determined to get justice in the matter, AYRION, in the petition, requested the investigation of Olomu and prosecution if found culpable.
Also, worried by the foot dragging of the ICPC in investigating and subsequently prosecute the Medical Director, another anti corruption organisation, CACOL wrote a petition to the supervising ministry of health to diligently and thoroughly investigate Olomu.
The letter titled, "Demand for thorough due diligent investigation of the Medical Director of Federal Medical Center (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State; Prof. Adewale Musa Olomu, and copied twelve others which include, Speaker, House of Representatives, Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau,
Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Minister of State for Health, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health.
Others are the, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Minister of Labour, Chief of Staff to the President, Director General, Department of State Security Services, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Board Chairman, Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
CACOL in the petition stated that "the attention of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has been
directed to the ongoing impasse rocking the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta bothering on issues of the Medical Director's alleged age falsification, discrepancy in his name, mismanagement of funds, abuse of office by employing his biological son and within a year of employment, granting him study leave in an European
country with pay.
"To this end, we are formally writing you to use your good offices to investigate these
allegations leveled against the Chief Medical Director of the Centre.
"It is our believe that any matter that has to do with public health such as that of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, should be treated with utmost urgency since the issues that are involved could lower the quality of service that citizens receive from that Centre.
"We also believe that it should form your priority to look into this case, more so, that the
issues involved especially as regards abuse of office, if not addressed may send a wrong
signal to public officials who may think that they are free to act anyhow while in office.
"So, it is on this note that we believe that you are not going to leave any stone unturned in ensuring that thorough investigation are done and due diligent prosecution of the culprit is carried out if he turned out to be.
"CACOL is an aggregate of human rights, community based and civil society organizations and individuals with an anti-corruption and
openness in governance agenda across Nigeria. It is a non-political, non-religious, non-sectarian, non-profit organisation.
CACOL added,
"We believe that the hallmark of your office should be openness and active involvement in public interest issues like this. To this end we would want to implore you to use your good offices to commence due diligent investigation into this case if it had not been investigated and if the investigation is on-going, we would still beg you to intensify efforts aimed at getting to the root of these petition and we would be glad to be carried along as you progress.
Prior to CACOL's request for investigation, the Human and Environmental Department Agenda (HEDA), a civil organisation, had earlier written to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie E. Ehanire to investigate the Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prof Adewale Musa-Olomu over alleged age falsification and fraud.
It was gathered that Musa-Olomu took over the reins of leadership of the hospital on June 1, 2017, for a term of four years.
Prof Adewale Musa-Olomu
His letter of appointment was issued and signed by the former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole.
However, his tenure was to have been fraught with varying allegations.
Aside from the controversy surrounding his age, the MD was alleged to have employed his son, Babatunde, and in less than a year of the son’s appointment, he allegedly granted him leave to study in a European country, with pay.
The group alleged that within the period that Musa-Olomu was the MD, the hospital’s payroll increased with over 1,700 workers. It was also said the hospital bought a refurbished Computerised Tomography (CT) scanner at the price of a new one.
The machine, bought for N230 million, was said to have developed a fault four months after installation.
In a statement signed and delivered by HEDA chairman, Olanrewaju Suraj, the anti-corruption organisation demanded that the allegations against Musa-Olomu be diligently investigated and pending the outcome of the investigation, he should be suspended from office in order to allow for a hitch-free investigation.
According to him, the group will closely monitor the situation in line with its mandate to protect and promote universally recognized human rights, accountability and environmental justice in Nigeria and Africa, in accordance with international standards.
“Going by our mandate as a leading Anti-Corruption organisation in Nigeria, we demand that the honourable minister of health suspend the Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre- Abeokuta, Ogun State; Prof. Adewale Musa-Olomu, and do a thorough investigation.
“We want to state it clearly that if no action is taken, we will not hesitate to take further actions, including but not limited to reporting to higher authorities, litigation, media briefing among others. Thus, we urge the health minister to take action now as we look forward to a veracious outcome,” he affirmed.
This followed a November 5, 2021 suit with number FHC/AB/FMC/100/21 filed at the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, by the Youths Reoriented Initiative of Nigeria (AYRION) against the medical director.
Aside CACOL, HEDA, Former Second Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Chairman of the NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), Dr. Monday Ubani, had at a time threatened to sue the Federal Government for allegedly renewing the appointment of the Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prof. Adewale Musa-Olomu, despite an alleged indictment against him.
He said that Musa-Olomu, who was appointed as MD of FMC, Abeokuta in 2017, ought not to have had his appointment renewed since he was indicted for age falsification, gross misconduct and abuse of office by the board of medical centre, two months ago.
Ubani, who stated this at a press conference in Lagos, noted that it is unfortunate that Prof. Musa-Olomu, who is also being investigated by the police and is currently on administrative bail, was not asked to step aside by the Federal Ministry of Health, but was rewarded with renewal of his appointment.
According to Ubani, such action negates the principle upon which the current administration under President Muhammadu Buhari claims to stand.
“I want to use this opportunity to remind the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration that what just happened in FMC, Abeokuta, where a man who ought to have retired from service clearly altered his age to get another term in office, is another form of corruption, which if not reviewed, will certainly dent the image of this administration,” he stated.
He said that alteration or change in the date of birth presented while joining public service is a serious crime that should not be taken lightly.
Ubani, therefore, urged the Federal Government to review the process through which Prof. Musa-Olomu’s tenure was renewed and if found to have been fraught with corruption should be reversed.
Nigeria’s health system, he said, is too important and critical to be handled by persons of questionable character.
Though apart from those allegations, in a letter dated May 31, 2022, CACOL also petitioned the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Mejabi Yemi-Esan, on a job racketeering that recently took place at FMC, Abeokuta.
The Petition titled job racketeering in FMC, Abeokuta, sated that "the attention of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has been drawn to the case of some staff of Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State who were involved in employment racketeering. The names and designation of the staff are as follow:
Mr. T.A Adefiwitan - (the then Assistant Director now Acting Director of Admin)
Mr. Atanda Jelili – Administrative Officer
Mr. Kujore Adedapo Abiodun - Principal Executive Officer 1
The officers were subsequently interrogated by a three man panel set up by the Hospital Management Committee of the Centre and were found guilty for extortion of money to the tune of Four Million Naira. (₦4m) per candidate seeking job placement at the Centre.
The allegations was confirmed to be true in the report of the Ad-hoc investigative Committee set up by the Hospital Management headed by Dr. Fidelis Ojeblenu (Head of Clinical Services of the Centre) submitted on the 8th of January 2021.
The matter was also referred to the Governing Board of the Centre and the affected staff were subjected to disciplinary action which is not in agreement with the stipulation of the Public Service Rule for such gross misconduct. The report of the committee is attached for your verification and further action to this unruly behaviour of these officers in the public service.
However, the office of the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF) issued a circular dated 3rd November 2021, on anonymous reporting system in the civil service (Copy attached). It will be highly appreciated if you can use your good offices to investigate and give the maximum discipline for this act of gross misconduct in the Centre.
To intimate you further, a principal culprit Mr Adefiwitan Timothy who was a Deputy Director in the Administrative Department of the Centre was also rewarded with a higher post of the Acting Director of Administration by the Medical Director of the Centre despite the directive of the Governing Board against his appointment in a letter dated 20th May 2022 directing the Medical Director to immediately reverse the appointment of the said officer and be redeployed back to the NHIS Unit due to the fact that he is under disciplinary action initiated by the board of Management due to his indictment for fraudulent acts that bordered on illegal staff recruitment as the Medical Director is fully aware as a Member of the Board. (copy of the letter is herein attached). Till now the said Mr. Adefiwitan is still acting as the Acting Director of Administration of the Centre (Attached is a copy of a letter signed by him using his new appointment dated 25th May 2022.).
Similarly, the officers were previously invited by the FCID in Abuja for interrogation but the investigation and interrogation has yielded no positive result up till now.
So, it is on this note that we believe that you are not going to leave any stone unturned in ensuring that thorough investigation are done and the affected staff are sanctioned according to the dictates of the Civil Service rule. We believe this will serve as deterrent to others and the image of the Civil Service will not be continuously dragged in the mud.
But in spite of the allegations and subsequent reprimands from the Hospital Board, it was gathered that when two Management staff of the Center were placed on suspension for allegedly leaking official documents to a non governmental organization.
In the letter dated 4th May, 2022 and signed by the Medical Director of the Hospital, Prof. Abdus Samiu A. Musa-Olomu directed the two Management Staff to hand over all the properties of the Hospital in their custody to the Medical Director.
The affected staff, Mr Adeyemi Oluseni Vaughan, the Director of Administration and his Deputy, David Folarin Akaraiwe were said to have been issued query for allegedly leaking information to All Youths Re-Oriented Initiative of Nigeria (AYRION).
It was gathered that the suspended head of administration was replaced by the staff who was queried for participating in job racketeering.
Worried by this, the Board of the Hospital directed the Medical Director to reverse the appointment since the Officer concerned is under disciplinary action.
As the FMC Abeokuta prepares to receive the House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions from Tuesday, July 19, 2022, it is unclear where the pendulum would swing in the roiling crisis that has engulfed the institution even as relevant stakeholders are threatening fire and brimstone.
But reacting to series of petitions against the Medical Director recently, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the medical facility, Mr. Segun Orisajo, called on the agrieved parties to sheath their swords and stop the wild goose chase and concentrate on a more fruitful venture.
He advised them to toe the path of peace and accept, in good fate, the decision of a court of competent jurisdiction who had ruled on the matter.
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