Health Minister forced to resign, to face corruption charges
Abuja - Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange, and her Minister of State, Mr. Gabriel Aduku, an architect, have resigned on the strength of the allegations of corruption in the ministry.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Professor Simon Ogamdi; the Director of Administration, Dr. H. B. Oyedepo; the Director of Finance, Hanafi Muhammed, and 11 other officials have also been sent on suspension pending further disciplinary action against them.
In the meantime, President Umaru Yar’Adua has accepted the supposed voluntary resignations of the Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange, and the Minister of State (Health), Arc. Gabriel Aduku.
“Both ministers are leaving the Federal Executive Council following charges of corruption brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)” according to the statement released by the presidency through the spokesman on media affairs, Mr. Segun Adeniyi.
“It is expected that without the burden of their ministerial duties, they will be better placed to respond to the charges against them”.
President Yar’Adua has also ordered the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Engr. Ebele Okeke, to direct that the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Prof. Simon Ogamdi; the Director of Administration, Dr. H.B. Oyedepo; and the Director of Finance, Hanafi Muhammed, who participated in the subversion of his directive on the return of unspent Budget 2007 funds to the Treasury should proceed on immediate suspension in accordance with extant civil service rules pending further disciplinary action by government.
Another Director, Mr. M.S. Hamid; a Chief Accountant, Abdulrahaman Ambali; a Principal Administrative Officer, Mr. Donald Ekanem; a Principal Transport Officer, Mr. Donatus Iyang; and seven other civil servants in the ministry were also affected by the suspension order.
The Minister of Labour, Dr. Hassan Muhammad Lawal, is to oversee the affairs of the Federal Ministry of Health until further notice.
Shortly before Mr. Adeniyi’s press conference, the two former ministers were seen leaving the President’s office with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe. They declined to speak to reporters.
The EFCC has, in the last few weeks, been investigating the disbursement of N300 million being unspent money from last year’s budget of the Health Ministry. The money was allegedly shared by officials of the ministry as “productive bonus,” whereas the President had directed that all unspent money be returned into government coffers.
The ministers were sworn in on July 27, 2007 along with others. They are the first to quit President Yar’Adua’s cabinet.
Sources also said the Presidency has issued a directive that the account books of other ministries be examined immediately to ascertain their compliance with the directive to return their unspent votes for 2007.
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