Tension in NAFDAC over massive fraud allegations

The President is expected to treat the petition as soon as he returns from the United States, where he went to  see President Barack Obama over bilateral issues, and there is a  belief that he would waste no time in directing the EFFC to investigation the allegations raised by the petitioners.

The petitioners also claimed that the NAFDAC Director-General inflated the contracts, supply and installation of furniture at the agency’s Isolo office in Lagos, from N180 million to over N370 million.

“It is interesting to note that when Dr. Paul Orhii came to NAFDAC in January, 2009 he met as much as over N600m in the NAFDAC bank account when the Agency’s revenue (IGR) was about N3.5b yearly. Now, the yearly IGR of NAFDAC is about N9b for the past 4years but NAFDAC’s current level of indebtedness is about N5b (excluding commitments not yet brought to the notice of the Finance & Accounts Directorate).

This is a case of mismanagement of funds by Dr. Paul Orhii, (sole Administrator of NAFDAC- Mr. Cutting Edge Technology),” they asserted. Dr. Orhii was also alleged to have illegally withdrawn about N400million from the Agency’s coffers between March 2013 and December 2014, adding that the company of the legal officer of the agency, Mr. Mohammed Baba, was used in carrying out the nefarious deal.

The petitioners accused the NAFDAC DG of engaging his aide in the reconstruction of the agency’s burnt warehouse in Lagos, noting that due process was thrown to the waste bin in the award of the contract.

“The multimillion naira (about N30M) painting contract ( of Agulu Zonal Laboratory, Anambra State) was given to the present SA (DG), Dr. James Mbachiantim Tivwuche mistress who is yet to complete the project to 20% but has collected over 80% of the total project sum under the strict instruction of the DG and his SA.

Moreso, the SA, after leaving NAFDAC to pursue his gubernatorial ambition had returned to the Agency without proper documentation (they acted through Tes’B Global

Resources Service Ltd),” they averred. Other sins allegedly committed by Dr. Orhii was the unlawful collection of money through consultants from NAFDAC Clients and diversion of the agency’s landed property in Benue State, the home state of the DG, to personal use.

According to the aggrieved persons, “The acclaimed landed property given to NAFDAC by the then Benue State Government administration of Gabriel Suswam in which NAFDAC paid over N30m for documentation, logistics and other auxiliary payment has been diverted for personal use by Dr. Paul Orhii.

Till date, there is no trace of land or the refund of the N30 million paid by NAFDAC.

“We therefore, appeal to you 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.”

The Executive Director, Socio-Economic Right Accountability Project (SERAP), Mr. Adetounbo Mumuney, called on the appropriate authority to

look into the issues raised by the petitioners and follow due process in doing so.

“The tenure of Dr. Dora Akunyili as DG NAFDAC and the present DG is incomparable. During Akunyili period, NAFDAC became synonymous with probity, commitment and effectiveness, but that cannot be said of the present DG,” he opined.

Attempts made to speak with the spokesperson of the agency, Mrs. Christy Obiazokwor, was to no avail as she off her phone when Hallmark sought her response on the allegations.

She also failed not reply the SMS sent to her. Meanwhile, while commenting on the issue, Madaki Ameh, warned against hasty conclusions, but tasked the relevant government agency to carry

painstaking investigation of the allegations.

“From my knowledge of the Agency and after reading in-between the lines, it appears obvious to me that the anonymous ‘whistle blower’ is not so anonymous after all, as all the facts point in only one direction:

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,” he stated.

Both the NAFDAC DG and the Director of Finance and Administration had not responded to our queries as at the time of going to press. 

There is serious crisis brewing in the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), as its Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, may soon receive an invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over  alleged fraud and embezzlement of the agency’s funds.

According to an online news source, some staffers of the agency had formally petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari to beam his searchlight on NAFDAC, alleging that  Dr. Orhii was involved in frivolous contract awards and supplies (LPOs), manipulating of publicity efforts, donations, international air travel racketeering and compulsory recertification of bottle and sachet water producers.