The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has concluded investigations on the allegation bothering on fraud, financial misappropriation, high-handedness and abuse of civil service rules against the Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, Dr. Angela Uwakwem, the Accountant of the institution and others.

 

Also in line with the civil service rules, the commission decided to forward the report to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim for his advice as some areas of the report dealt on allegation on abuse of civil service rules.

 

According to reliable inside sources in the EFCC, it was revealed that the accounts books of the institution has been scrutinised and returned, even as the Medical Director, Head of Administration, Accountant and Internal Auditor are now panicking for what would be their fate. THISDAY also gathers that even though the Medical Director had been restive in ensuring that the report does not get to the Presidency, she had also taken an emergency leave alongside the Chief Accountant and the Director of Administration, not minding that the Medical Director had preceded her annual leave this year on several occasions.

 

It was however revealed that the Internal Auditor who is also a member of the management team had petitioned against the management of the Institution to the authorities, probably a way to exonerate himself from the wrath going on in the place. THISDAY gathered that for several weeks, the commission docked the duo of the Medical Director and the Chief Accountant severally in a bid to unravel the several allegations bothering on misappropriation of funds, contact scam, employment racketeering, etc.

 

Also the staff of the health institution expressed worries over the where-about of their FEMCO funds (Federal Medical Centre Cooperative Bank) to the tune of over N60 million where staff contribute some percentage of their salaries that enables them to take soft loans when they desire.

 

Some staff who spoke to THISDAY on condition of anonymity complained that they were shocked to hear that the cooperative bank now operates zero account as all the money contributed by staff had been withdrawn by the management, even where staff salaries were not fully paid. It could be recalled that the resident doctors had just returned from their over one month strike as a result of the ills bothering the institution.

 

In the same vein, the nurses in the institution are hard hit as they could not muster courage to face the Medical Director to ask for their legitimate rights even as their salaries and allowances were the lowest in the federation.

 

BY AMBY UNEZE,

This Day