N500m Scam: OAU medical director granted bail
From Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo, 04.01.2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The Osun State High Court sitting at Ile-Ife yesterday granted bail to the former Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Professor David Akinola, and one other person .

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It would be recalled that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) had arraigned Prof. Akinola , his Director of Administration, Dr. Lofinyeye Ilesanmi, and Mr. Nathaniel Idowu, now deceased, for alleged on a 20- count charge of conspiracy, falsification of documents, and fraud totaling N500 million.

When the charges were read yesterday, the two (2) accused pleaded not guilty to the charges before the court. Counsel to the accused persons, Mr. David Felix Oladipo, asked the court to grant his clients bail on self recognition, describing them as men of proven integrity who had reached the climax of their professional career without blemish. Counsel to the ICPC, Mr. Godson Igbadumen, did not oppose the application as he disclosed that the Commission had observed the accused persons as men of integrity who could not jump bail .

In her ruling, the High Court Judge, Justice Grace Oladoke, granted the accused persons bail on self recognition with one surety each and N1 million each in like sum.

The case has been adjourned till the 14th of April for hear ing. The judge had earlier struck-out the case leveled against the third accused person, Nathaniel Idowu, a former Director of Finance of OAUTHC, Ile-Ife, whose death certificate was tendered before the Court.

They were alleged to have committed the offence between January and October 2001.
http://odili.net/news/source/2008/apr/1/225.html

[size=15pt]UNTH CMD Anthony Mba enmersed in graft[/size]


By Emmanuel Nzomiwu,Reporter, Enugu


http://www.independentngonline.com/


The management board of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, is enmeshed in a row over the recommendation of the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Anthony Mba, for re-appointment despite a police report that reportedly held him accountable for the theft of a 100KVA generator belonging to the hospital.

It is alleged that the board swept under the carpet the report which also indicated that he used irregular means to get himself endorsed for a second term, not minding the fact that he came fifth in an election conducted by the local branch of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) on March 12.

G. N. Adimorah scored 236 votes in the election, M.A.C Aghaji (217), B. C. Ezeanolue (214), You.F. Ezepue (189), Mba (132), and Okey Onwuasoigwe (92).
Sources disclosed that members of the board, who are aware of the report, ignored the election result and recommended Mba to the Ministry of Health, which, in turn, forwarded his name to the Presidency for re-appointment.


A top official of the MDCAN, who sought anonymity, expressed fears that members of the board were probably induced to endorse Mba, since it is difficult to reconcile his re-appointment, considering the said police report forwarded to them.


The report, signed by Superintendent of Police (SP), Richard Gara, dealt with allegations of threat to life by Mba against Linus Onyia, a member of the board.
Mba’s petition was dated September 4, 2006, that of Onyia September 5, 2006.
In his petition, Mba alleged that in March last year, unknown persons removed the generator in Nvene. The theft was reported in Udi, and Onyia was accused of removing the facility and was arrested, he narrated.


Mba said between September 1 and 4, he had received threat calls, of which he suspected Onyia as the mastermind.
But Onyia, in his own petition, accused Mba of not employing security men at the site where the generator was installed besides accusing him of embezzling N6,999,993.00 using M/S Commercial Enterprises.

Onyia alleged that in the guise of renovating the water pipeline from Nvene to Ituku, Mba sold water daily to tankers at UNTH permanent site without using UNTH staff or making proper accounts of the sales.

He alleged that Mba spent N3,732,300 to buy a used Toyota Hilux van instead of a brand new one .

Onyia alleged that Mba borrowed N13 million from the welfare fund of UNTH workers in October 2004 for shipping medical equipment donated by the World Medical Relief in the United States, but the consignment neither arrived nor was the money returned.

He said

Mba unilaterally approved the payment of N350,000 through one Linus Ogbanu, to pay for security and to take over the public power supply line from New Haven to Ituku Ozalla, against the N100,000 officially approved.

The two petitioners and those mentioned in the petitions were invited by the police and wrote statements.


The Nvene waterline and UNTH permanent site in Ituku-Ozalla were visited by the police, at the end of which Mba was reportedly held accountable for the stolen generator. Onyia was exonerated.

The police report indicated that Mba increased the money voted for the public power line from N100,000 to N350,000 without the approval of the board.
It was also found that, without due process, he borrowed N13 million to ship medical equipment, which has not been delivered since October 2004, nor is the money returned.


The police report said he used N3,732,000 approved for a new Toyota Hilux van to buy a used one.

The police recommended that Mba be made to explain his actions, failing which he should be charged to court for defrauding the ministry.
A phone call to the mobile line of the UNTH Board Chairman, Charles Amanze, was picked by a person who was not co-operative.
Nevertheless, UNTH Public Relations Officer, Cyril Keleze, absolved the board of any wrongdoing in Mba’s re-appointment.


He accused those whose interests were not favoured in the appointment of engaging in a campaign of calumny against Mba, stressing that it is not the duty of MDCAN to appoint the Chief Medical Director.


Said Keleze: "They (MDCAN) are usually advised to nominate five persons among them to handle the position. They nominated five, and the question of who came first among them doesn’t matter. They nominated five to the board. The board nominated three to the ministry and the ministry nominated one to the Presidency.

When contacted in respect of the police report, the Public Relations Officer for the Enugu Command, Michael Abatam, told Sunday Independent that "the report was not meant for public consumption," and promised to throw more light on it on Monday if our correspondent so wishes.

That is what Nigeria does best as a country. . . makes a petty thief out of any learned or seasoned professional! No matter how accomplished you are. . .you become a petty thief in the end.

Oprah was right afterall! She should be having the last laugh as more revelations of educated thieving professionals are exposed in Nigeria!

Almond my dear long time, no see!

What you said is very nauseating, but true.

eagleu:

Almond my dear long time, no see!

What you said is very nauseating, but true.

How can you call AJ your dear, just like dat? You wan start a fight?

Anyway, it's a shame how corruption has crept into the highest level of naija educational echelon.