EFCC arrests NAFDAC boss, Orhii, over contract awards

UCHE AKOLISA
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ((EFCC) yesterday interrogated the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), , for allegedly awarding contracts to himself.

Orhii, who was quizzed at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja from 9a.m to 5pm, was alleged to have awarded contracts to some companies, which acted as fronts for him.

He was allowed to go after Monday’s interrogation with a directive to report at the commission’s office today.

A source at NAFDAC disclosed that the DG arrived at the Wuse, Abuja headquarters of the EFCC at about 9a.m yesterday in response to an invitation requesting him to present himself to be interviewed by the anti-graft agency.

Although the details of the allegations for which Orhii was invited were still sketchy as at press time, the source disclosed that the NAFDAC boss is accused of awarding contracts to companies linked with him.

NAFDAC, however, denied that Orhii was summoned and grilled over alleged act of fraud.

It said in a statement by its Director of Special Duties, Abubakar Jimoh, on Monday that the DG voluntarily visited the EFCC to clear the air on a petition against him by a former chief in the anti-narcotic agency.

The statement reads, “We have been alerted to an online trending news of the visit of the Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Dr.Paul Orhii, to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission today.

“The visit was at the personal volition of the DG to explain the situation regarding allegation of corruption by a former Director of Finance and Accounts of the agency, Mr.Ademola Mogbojuri. Since last week, some officers, who were mentioned in the allegation, had gone to the EFCC to shed light and clear the air on the mindless accusations.

“There’s nothing unusual about this but rather to applaud the DG for his courage to want to engage the recalcitrant director, who has decided to dance naked in the public and become a willing tool in the hands of the counterfeiters to infiltrate our organised system.”

Orhii becomes the latest high-profile Nigerian to be grilled by EFCC in just two months of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency.

Kingsley Kuku, former special adviser on Niger Delta Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, was invited for questioning alongside two others on July 24 for allegedly embezzling and fraudulently diverting funds running into hundreds of millions of naira.

He has already affirmed his innocence and has promised to report to the agency once he returns from the United States, where he is recuperating after a knee surgery.

Last Tuesday, wife of the Senate president, Toyin Saraki, was interrogated by EFCC for about six hours over her alleged involvement in shady contracts during her husband’s tenure as governor of Kwara between 2003 and 2011.

Murtala Nyako, former governor of Adamawa State, and his son Abdulaziz are also under EFCC investigation, as is Ikedi Ohakim, former governor of Imo state.

Former governor of Ebonyi State, Martin Elechi, was also interrogated in June.

It would be recalled that Orhii ran into troubled waters when insiders who were not happy with the way things are in the agency, 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 whistle blowers alleged that the on-going 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 N370 million, was over inflated from the original price not more than N180 million.

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 N4 billion 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 offices to save the situation and bring back the lost glory of the agency to the dream of the founding fathers in order for NAFDAC to keep safe-guarding the health of the nation”.