Date Published: 09/20/09

N100 million fraud rocks Calabar Pyschiatric Hospital
…It is not true, Medical Director  

Dr. Timothy Sunday Babatunde

In the last couple of months the Medical Director of the Federal Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar, Dr. Sunday Timothy Babatunde; have been having a running battle with Anti-corruption agencies in the country following allegations of monumental fraud against him and his cronies.

For the umpteenth time, the Chief Executive of the Hospital has been guest of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission , ICPC, and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, both in Port-Harcourt and Abuja to answer questions on about N150 million said to have been misappropriated by his administration in the last one year.

A Non-Governmental Organization,(NGO), Coalition for Justice and Good Governance (CJGG), Cross River State, with Dr. Theo Osim Onyuku, (Chairman) and COMRADE Johnson Odey (Secretary) had petitioned the anti-graft agencies accusing Babatunde of “maladministration, prowling the hospital resources, outright stealing and embezzlement of public funds.” The group maintained in a petition made available to our reporter that over N150 million could not be accounted for by the boss of the Hospital.

In a swift reaction, Babatunde described the petitioners as disgruntled elements. According to him, “they are made up of either those presently being queried for sundry misconducts, dropped for incompetence and gross misconducts”

The petition was signed by Dr Theo Osim Onyuku (Chairman), and Johnson Odey (Secretary).

Between 2006, when he assumed office, and 2009, CJGG alleged, the Medical Director had under DTA (Duty Tour Allowance) wasted about N20 million on over 70 official sortie to Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna and Port-Harcourt. According to the group some of these trips were self-serving intended to enrich him.

According to the CJGG, in May, 2007, the Medical director collected the sum of N113, 000 for a four day conference at Abuja, but the conference was later postponed and he did not travel and when the Assistant Director of Finance, Mr. Oti, asked for the refund, he queried him.

In November 25-29, 2008, the CJGG claimed, the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria had a conference in Port-Harcourt and the Medical Director applied and collected the sum of 239,000 as DTA but refused to travel. The same year he claimed millions of naira under DTA which he did not embark on.

For 2009, the jamboree had been on as he uses the myriad of invitations by anti-graft agencies as an excuse to be claiming more DTA. Virtually every week he either travels in company of the Counsel, Barrister Francis Esu, to their zonal offices in Port-Harcourt or Abuja answering some questions on the running of the hospital. This has provided an avenue for him to siphon money from the accounts unit of the hospital, the petition alleged.

Apart from DTA, the chief executive has been milking the hospital dry through award of fake, fictitious and over inflation of contracts using fronts and his kinsmen. The petition alleged that in September 2007, he awarded without due process, a contract worth N4.5m for the supply of anesthetic machine to HASPo Nigeria limited of number 1, Egbe Close, Adewole Estate, Illorin in Kwarra State. The machine supplied by the company, CJGG maintained, were sub-standard and dysfunctional. The total contract sum was paid in full before installation even against the advice of Assistant Director of Finance. He is alleged to have a substantial interest in the company.

Some board members who spoke on this matter confided in our reporter that as at the time the Anesthetic machine was bought, it was not necessary rather what was urgently needed by such a tertiary Mental hospital are EEG, X-ray machine and CT-SCAN which the hospital lacks.

Besides, the group accused the medical Director of colluding with one Chief Steven Agbai, a Board member, to supply a refurbished old 1000kva generator at the cost of N3.6 million. This generator has gulped about N5 million for repairs since it was installed and yet it has broken down shortly after it was supplied. This has thrown the hospital into constant darkness and causing some medical complications to the patients.

Another front used to drain the hospital of its meager resources is one Alhaji Oluyemi (Obel), the proprietor of Obel Pharmacy located at number 1, Calabar Road in Cross River State. Alhaji Oluyemi, a Pharmacist, got a contract to install a VSAT for the hospital at a staggering amount of about N300, 000.

The petitioners further alleged that the boss of the Calabar-based Psychiatric Hospital paid himself the sum of N30 million as arrears of salaries as a political office holder and to some select loyalists without recourse to the Ministry of Health, the Supervisory body. This came from the N100 million unspent fund as at December 31, 2008 which sources close to the accounts unit said it was not returned in line with the President Yar’Adua’s directive. The president had directed all government agencies and Ministries to always return every unspent budget.

In the light of the above, the ICPC and EFCC have been quizzing Mr. Babatunde in the last one year and this has slowed down the pace of administration in the hospital as he is always on the road with his lawyer to clarify some charges leveled against him.

Acting on the petition, the ICPC in letter dated August, 21, 2009 and titled INVITATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 28 (1) (a) and (b) OF THE ICPC ACT 2000 summoned him to appear before one Nuhu Gabriel on August 25, 2008 for the violation of the provision of the ICPC Act 2000.

EFCC followed suit with their numerous invitations dated September 17, 2008 on Mr. Babatunde appear before it in pursuant to section 38 (1) of the economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment ) Act 2004 and section 20 of Money laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004. The case is being handled by Mr. Victor Daramola of the Port Harcourt zonal office.

This case has dragged on and even some senior management staffers have been invited for questioning on the goings-on at the hospital. And as at the time of going to the press, the hospital Boss has been under close surveillance by the security operatives.

Babatunde maintained that “The group complaining, I am sure, is made up people who are either facing query, dropped for incompetence, gross insubordination or leaking classified documents to members of the public. It may also be made up those who are over-ambitious and have vowed to take over from me after my first term. So I am not surprised because they have told me straight that I will never go for another term.”

“Besides, they have written threat letters to me, they petitioned me to the Ministry that if I am not removed by March ending 2009 they would send militants to the school and I have been a guest of the EFCC for more than seven times over their petitions. Some have even challenged my memos. But a leader I take it with calmness and large heart.” he said

In view of all these, he contended, he decided to re-brand the hospital as his own strategy by carrying out internal posting exercises whereby some key officers were changed for improved productivity and efficient service delivery at the hospital.

According to him “some of the changes are in line with Hospital Management operational guidelines and rules as the tenure of head of Clinical services is just for two years while others do not have a specified period apart from on merit and based on that I decided to carry out a major shake up. So it behoves on me to either re-appoint him or look for another person equally competent to do the job.”

Some of the postings, he disclosed, included the removal of Dr. Joseph Okegbe, former Head of Clinical services, Auditor, Mr. Jackson Okpachu, now to School of Nursing along Mary Slessor Avenue, Calabar, Mr. Ulor Okon, Principal Accountant to Audit Unit while Dr. Ekpe E. Ekpe and Mrs. Tawo took over from Dr. Okegbe and Mr. Ulor as Head of Clinical Services and Accountant respectively.

Investigations revealed that there has been an on-going cold war between the Medical Director and a group said to be opposed to his style of leadership and second term bid. This has polarized the institution into factions, thereby causing disaffection among the management as well as lower cadre.

There are also strong indications that the Chief Executive of the Hospital might face prosecution on corruption charges.