FMC Officials Deny Embezzling N88m

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The management of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, southwest Nigeria, has debunked allegation that top officials of the hospital were involved in embezzlement of hospital funds meant for the welfare of members of staff of the hospital.

The hospital management also denied the reports in some dailies today that four top members of its management were arrested by operatives of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Briefing newsmen this afternoon at the hospital’s board room in Abeokuta, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Oladapo Sotiloye who was with other top members of the management explained that they only went to ICPC’s office to an honour invitation sent to them.

According to Sotiloye, “I just want to use this medium to let us know that we were never arrested, we were never detained. We were there, they interrogated us and after the interrogation, they let us go. There was nothing like

detention, nothing like arrest. We just want to make that clear, that is the essence of calling this meeting.”

Speaking further, he disclosed that he along with the Director of Administration, Director of Finance as well as some members of the leadership of the hospital union were invited based on a purported petition the anti-graft agency received.

He maintained that none of them was detained after the interrogation which lasted for about an hour.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) and three other top officials of the hospital were said to have been summoned and interrogated by operatives of ICPC for allegedly embezzling N88 million meant for the year 2010 housing allowances of the hospital staff.

But speaking on the allegation, Sotiloye explained that the hospital under his administration was not owing such rent or housing allowance.

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The CMD stated that the Federal Ministry of Health, which is the parent body of the hospital had told the staff that the money had been consolidated in their emolument under Consolidated Health Enhancement Salary Structure (CONHESS).

“We do not owe rent allowance. When the Federal Government gave us the fund for CONHESS arrears, they said because the rent has been consolidated in CONHESS arrears, it was deducted from source. But because there were agitations from members of staff, we had to get back to our parent ministry that this is the situation; they want us to pay rent allowance,” Sotiloye stated.

He further stated that the hospital under him had to impress it on the Federal Government before they got approval to source for fund through Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to pay “in the interest of peace”.

He said, “about the rent allowance, I told you that the Federal Ministry of Health said they do not owe anybody allowance because it has been consolidated in their salary. But in the interest of peace, we should source for fund to see how we can meet the needs of the members of staff just in the interest of peace not that we owe that money”.

The CMD who stated that they neither knew the origin of the petition nor were they given a copy to read through, however, stressed that there was really nothing that one can hold on to as the subject of the invitation.

Sotiloye also declared that he was ready to open “any book” that will assist the anti-graft agency in its investigation on the matter.

“By the special grace of God and by the leading of the Holy Spirit, my hands are clean; I do not have any skeleton in my cupboard and I am ready to open any book that nay person wishes to examine. I do not have anything to hide from anybody and by the special grace of God, the Lord has been upholding me and He will continue to uphold me and I thank God for that,” Sotiloye submitted.

By Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta

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