Metro
Rumpus in NAFDAC over fraud allegations
In from Ali Smart…
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul B. Orhii, is currently enmeshed in allegations of corruption, which is currently creating rumpus within the agency.
The DG has been accused of corruption on a massive scale.
Ripples gathered that insiders who were not happy the way things are, decided to blow the whistle on the rot in the system, in an open letter of complaint to President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a petition tagged: ‘MONUMENTAL FRAUDS AND WASTE OF TAX PAYERS’ MONEY BY DR. PAUL B. ORHII, DG NAFDAC,’ the whistleblowers alleged that the ongoing frauds include frivolous contract awards and supplies (LPOs), manipulated publicity efforts, donations, international air travel racketeering, and compulsory recertification by bottle and sachet water producers.
The letter listed 14 companies that are being used in the money games at NAFDAC. Among other things, it noted that contracts, supplies and installation of furniture for the NAFDAC Isolo office at over N370m, was over inflated from the original price not more than N180m.
The document said, “The sum of about N400m had been illegally withdrawn from the Agency’s purse between March 2013 and December 2014. This is a multimillion naira fraud by Dr. Paul Orhii and a legal officer in NAFDAC whose companies are usually used to perpetrate this evil.”
The allegations also included manipulation and conflict of interest in the work of the Director-General.
“Dr. Paul Orhii singlehandedly contracted a company belonging to himself and his associate to extract money from producers of bottle and sachet water across the nation. It was reported by one of the clients that after paying the sum of N15m to the consultant, in which his water was passed, and certificate issued to him, the NAFDAC lab rejected his water from being registered despite assurances given by the DG’s company.
“This is one of the ways Dr. Paul Orhii has been extorting money illegally from innocent Nigerians for no reason”, the petition stated.
The petitioners also alleged that over N4billion has been fraudulently withdrawn from the coffers of the agency in the past three years for fictitious advertising payment with the understanding by those responsible that Dr. Orhii would approve it.
The petitioners who begged not to be named, called on President Buhari “to act fast and use your good office to save the situation and bring back the lost glory of the Agency to the dream of the founding fathers in other for NAFDAC to keep safe-guarding the health of the nation”.
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victor
July 20, 2015 at 8:40 am
we hope they put their house in order to avoid expired drugs ashes being packaged as ampliclox
Abdul
July 20, 2015 at 9:20 am
I won’t doubt it. The ineffectiveness of the body over the years is obvious even to the blind.
yusuf
July 21, 2015 at 3:04 pm
This just smells of cheap blackmail, the Director Finance & Accounts refused cooperation yet all this was able to happen?? Without his cooperation?? Really I want to hear something else, there is need to find out if there is love lost somewhere,is he still at the agency or did the transfer stoke this flame?? (pride & blackmail); because these figures can only emanate from an accountant (i.e if they are true after all) Dont trust most whistleblowers, the last one against the ebola funds /NCDC issue turned out to be a fake Doctor, working at the Ministry for almost a decade. I believe the Director of Finance should be investigated, because DG’s don’t release monies, they do and if he is crying blue murder now, four fingers must surely be pointing at him. Please folks, dont always be too quick to tarnish, investigative journalism will do thirsty truth news seekers alot of good!!
Grave as these allegations against the NAFDAC DG, Dr. Paul Orhii may appear, I will urge caution in arriving at any hasty conclusions until a thoroughl and painstaking investigation of the allegations are carried out. The Director of Finance and Administration who was recently redeployed to another department by the NAFDAC board and who is said to be very unhappy about his redeployment and has openly threatened to malign the DG and get him fired in the expected changes to be made across the board by PMB at the Federal level.