By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
The fight against corruption in Nigeria has continued to record a good success as
the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), is currently investigating how a hospital worth N150 million was illegally converted for use by an Ebonyi State community.
According to a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by the ICPC spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, the hospital has already been handed over to the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), for which it was built.
She said that the Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Group (CEPTG) of ICPC had in the course of the phase two of its tracking exercise, traced the Constituency Project being a hospital located at Ebunwana community in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
She said the hospital which was fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities was conceived as a Medical outpost of FUNAI and meant to serve as a teaching hospital for its medical students.
“The project, which was appropriated in 2019 and completed in March 2020 at the cost of the above sum, was facilitated by the then Senator representing Ebonyi South Senatorial District, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji.
“However, after the completion of the project, the local community unofficially took over the hospital even though it was not meant for it and went ahead to rename the facility and appoint a consultant to manage the hospital on a profit-sharing arrangement between the community and the consultant.
“Following the illegality that enshrouded the constituency project, the Commission stepped in to ensure that the hospital was handed over to the institution for which it was appropriated and executed.
“The project has been recovered by the CEPTG team and handed over to the University community on 25th March 2022.”
Mrs. Ogugua however stressed that investigations are ongoing to unravel how the local community got access and took control of the hospital without any official ceremony.
