Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA), Ebonyi State, Dr. Emeka Onwe Ogah, has denied some weighty corruption allegations levied against him and some top management members of the hospital.
A popular online media, according to Ogah, HAD published a ‘fabricated story’ which accused his administration of salary padding; awarding contracts for projects and purchase of drugs without following due process; and running the federal hospital as his private clinic; and pocketing the hospital’s finances.
The said report, according to him, also accused another top officer of the hospital of setting up a transport company named ‘Ugamah’ which it claimed has 50 buses in its fleet with the hospital’s finances; owning many estates in some locations in the country; among others.
The CMD, in a statement issued to newsmen, in Abakaliki, the state capital, which was obtained by Daily Sun, denied all the allegations; describing them as baseless and lies from the pit of hell.
The statement read in parts, “The awards of contracts/drug supply in the hospital were all done following due process.
“On the issue of salary padding, every sane person knows that salaries are paid from Abuja through the IPPIS. The hospital has no business in the giving and collection of salaries of any staff.
“A hospital that has a board of management that is incorruptible cannot be accused of having just two persons who would turn the hospital into their private establishment where monies are turned into private pockets”, he said.
Continuing, he said: “On the allegation of maladministration, the petitioners and the reporter are too mean and do not know the meaning of maladministration. Onwe in his 4th year in office has attracted many good things to the hospital.
“One being the establishment of Lassa Fever Centre built and equipped by the state government and donated to the Federal Ministry of Health. The other was the donation of Lassa fever consumables including incinerator to the hospital by Doctors Without Borders.
“The free medical treatment of the T.Y. Danjuma Foundation and gift of medical items by the MTN Nigeria just to mention but a few”, it added.
Ogah wondered why the reporter declined invitation extended to him for a face-to-face media chat with him targeted at getting detailed responses on his enquiries but preferred to tarnish the image of the hospital.