Corruption: Workers Of Enugu Neuropsychiatric Hospital Petitions EFCC Over Medical Director’s Fraud

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Thursday, July 27th, 2017

From Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The protracted Crisis bedeviling the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu has assumed another twist, as the workers have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alleging monumental fraud in the hospital, under the watch of its incumbent Medical Director, Dr. JoJo Onwukwe.

Operating under the auspices of Association of Psychiatric Nurses of Nigeria, APNON, and the Graduate Nurse Association of Nigeria, GNAN, the workers said they could no longer fold their hands and watch the Managing Director and few other persons totally destroy the federal government owned health institution.

They, therefore, pleaded with the EFCC acting chairman, of the anti graft agency, Mr. Ibrahim Magu to investigate all their claims and ensure that all the culprits were brought to book.

The petition which was signed by Mr. Maduka Chibuzo and Okonkwo Jude, the chairman and the secretary of APNON, respectively, as well as Anoliefo Grace and Nwagwu Vitus, the chairman and the secretary of GNAN, respectively and made available to African Examiner in Enugu on Tuesday, urged the agency to take the petition very seriously.

They claimed in the petition that “N570m came into the hospital accounts to settle arrears in october/November, 2016 but has been hidden till date in a different account by the Managing Director.

The petition read in parts: “Fifty million naira was shared out to friends and associates in the hospital, with the title ‘Insurance Premium’ by the Managing Director at Concord Hotel, Owerri, in the last week of December, 2015, because the Federal Government will mop it up at the end of the year.”

They equally provided a breakdown of how the money was allegedly shared, saying. one of the beneficiaries in the accounts department of the hospital returned N2000,000 paid to him, citing religious grounds.

According to the workers, “the medical director has collected N20m salary advance but has not deducted it from his salary till date.

“The receipts kept in the medical records department got burnt overnight without any investigation.

“N18m was used by Mrs. Stella Achalla, the Medical Director’s Secretary to buy fridges, photocopying machines,without recourse to procurement department.”

They Hospital workers, also claimed that Onwukwe had long reached the mandatory retirement age but has “refused to join IPPS like all other hospital, so that he can be using deceased individuals, retired and resigned individuals to get money from the government.

“We ask you to urgently look into these matters because the hospital is a ticking time bomb. The medical director has sowed the seed of discord through the divide and rule method, among nurses and doctors.

“For complete peace and normalcy to return to the hospital, Dr. Onwukwe must go and a new medical director and head of clinical should be appointed from outside the hospital.”

Efforts by our Correspondent to get reaction of the CMD roved abortive, as he did not pick calls put across to his mobile phone.

It would be recalled that the hospital workers have been having running battle with Onwuwe, since assumption of office over series of issues concerning staffers of the establishment.