Job Racketeering: FG Suspends OAUTH Director as CMD Flees

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The Federal Government has suspended the Acting Director of Admin, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun state, Mr Balogun Tajudeen over his alleged involvement in job racketeering.
This is even as the former Chief Medical Director, (CMD) Dr Owojuyigbe Olumuyiwa, who was appointed in acting capacity in March, 2023, also fled from the hospital since July over the same offence.
The Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ms Patricia Deworitshe, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Deworitshe stated that the ministry was compelled to wade into the issue of unrest at the tertiary healthcare facility.
She attributed the unrest to the alleged job racketeering and over employment saga in the establishment under the former CMD, Dr Olumuyiwa.
Deworitshe informed that Olumuyiwa employed over 1,973 staff as against the 450 vacancies waiver granted by the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) in 2022.
She described the action as flagrant abuse of extant rules and regulations, adding that the hospital conducted the exercise in two phases (230 and 220) after securing the approval of the Federal Character Commission not to advertise the posts.
The spokesperson noted that during the first phase, the hospital recruited 600 staff instead of 230, and a total of 1,823 staff members were recruited in the second phase instead of 220.
She lamented that at the end of the two phases, the hospital recruited 2,423 staff instead of 450, adding that 1,973 staff members were recruited in excess of the approved waiver.
Deworitshe pointed out that in August, an investigative panel led by Dr Aderemi Azeez of the Hospital Service Department in the ministry was set up.
She disclosed that the report of the panel revealed that Olumuyiwa was embroilled in over-employment and job racketeering in the establishment without budgetary provisions for over 1,973 workers that were illegally employed.
The report highlighted that the 450 workers waiver granted to OAUTH was for the recruitment of clinical staff, noting that only 55 clinical staff were employed, while others were non-clinical staff.
Deworitshe added that the report also revealed that OAUTH had a staff strength of 7,279, out of which 3,034 are clinical staff while 4,245 are non-clinical staff.
This, she said translated to a non clinical staff ratio of approximately 1:1 instead of the recommended 3:1, meaning that it was supposed to be three clinical to one non-clinical staff.
She pointed out that the panel revealed that many recruited staff were without the requisite academic and professional certificates, as well as evidence of National Youth Service Corps certificates.