The Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu is under serious pressure to probe the alleged contract scam involving some top officials of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Services, LSBTS.
In line with this, the governor has been called upon by well meaning Nigerians to probe the Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Bodunrin Osikomaiya and the Head of Account, Ademola Adedigba over a web of alleged contract scams in which they have been fingered.
If the state government refuses to quickly wade into the problem of contract scams involving some top officials in the agency, some employees of the agency told the magazine that they may be forced to take laws into their own hands over what they described as an anomaly in the LSBTS.
The worried employees said they are surprised that this could be going on under the Sanwo-Olu administration which prides itself as the promoter of the rule of law.
How can the Executive Secretary and Head of Accounts be allowed to award mouth watering contracts to themselves and their cronies contrary to the enabling procurement laws of the state? some critics of the administration are demanding.
The latest is the award of a N9 million contract to a company owned by the Head of Account, HoD, of the agency, Adedigba which is currently causing serious tension in the agency, with some employees alleging that the illegal act has been going on for some time without the management of the health Ministry doing much to stem it.
Judging from the silence on the part of the Prof. Akin Abayomi-led Ministry of Health to rein in the top officials of the agency who allegedly award contracts to themselves in gross violation of the Procurement law, sources said the state government must wade in immediately to prevent the break down of law and order, as some angry employees with the deep knowledge of what is going on told the magazine that they may be forced to take laws into their hands if the ministry continues to play sidon look on the matter.
According to the Procurement law 2021 “Any person who has been engaged in preparing for procurement or part of the proceedings may not bid for the procurement in question or any part of it either as main contractor or sub-contractor and may not cooperate in any manner with bidders in the course of preparing their tenders.”
In this particular case, the Executive Secretary and the HOD Accounts, by virtue of their positions are supposed to be members of the Contracts Tender Board which approves contracts in the agency.
Therefore, they are statutorily barred by the enabling law from bidding for contracts in the agency having been part of the procurement process.
Apparently, this pristine procurement law has been ignored by Dr Osikomaiya and Adedigba who allegedly approved contracts their cronies, not minding the consequences of their actions, sources in the agency informed the magazine on the issue.
On July 16, 2024 the agency awarded the contract for the “procurement of -40°C Ultra Freezer” to FTK & Dammy Enterprises, a company owned by the Head of Accounts, HoD of the agency, Ademola Adedigba.
According to the Letter of Award of the contract to FTK & Dammy Enterprise signed by the Executive Secretary, Dr Osikomaiya, and cited by the magazine the agency boss wrote “ I write to notify you that your bid dated 16th July, 2024 for the release of fund for the procurement of -40 degree C Ultra Freezer in the Blood Transfusion Component Unit as corrceted and modified in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders is hereby accepted by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Services on the following terms and conditions:
1.Contract Sum: N9,000,000.00(Nine Million Naira Only). 2 Full Payment (100%) N9,000,000.00(Nine Million Naira, Only) shall be paid on delivery of Goods. 3. Completion Period: 4 weeks.”
The “Letter of Contract” signed by Dr Osikomaiya said further that “An unconditional Advance payment Bank Guarantee or insurance Bond issued by an institution acceptable to the state” has been made by the agency.
The letter was signed on August 14, 2024 at 12.43 pm by the Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Osikomaiya.
Also, a Payment Voucher LSBTS/CAP/004/2024 with the code number 020777715800011009000045338, dated july 24, 2024 revealed that the sum of N9 million was indeed paid to FTK & Dammy Enterprise.
The Voucher was signed by Adedigba designated as the Head of Department of Account (A/C) in the document.
Sources who spoke with the magazine said this was not the first time the Adedigba had used the company, with its address at No 6, Adebanwo street, Bariga, Lagos to corner contracts from the agency in breech of the Procurement law.
Adedigba who have been working with the agency for some years as its chief Treasurer has capitalised on his vantage position to commit the act, in such a manner that portrayed him as untouchable, according to some angry employees who said they want the matter thoroughly investigated by the state government.
“It’s wrong for some officials of the agency to break the same law which they have sworn to protect, carrying on as if they cannot be reprimanded or checkmated. This issue have been going on for a long time but those involved appear to have put on the garb of “nobody is going to stop me” probably because of their connections high up,” a source in the agency said.
Lamenting the reluctance of the state Commissioner of Health Prof. Abayomi to intervene in the matter, despite repeated calls by some employees of the agency, sources informed that the frosty relationship between Abayomi and the Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Osikomaiya has grossly affected the working of the agency.
The sources said the commissioner may have decided to ignore the serious infractions committed by the management of the agency for fear of being reprimanded by the power that be in Alausa Government, the state’s seat of power.
One of the sources informed that Prof. Abayomi and Dr Osikomaiya have had some serious clashes in the past which led to the intervention of the state governor.
“For instance, there was a time the Professor wanted to build a structure for one of the units so that the staff can be relocated from their current place, which is not comfortable. But the Executive Secretary quickly ran to Governor Sanwo-olu to stop the project simply because she had access to him. The project was eventually stopped and those that are supposed to benefit are now the ones suffering because some people don’t just like each other,’ the source said last week.
The magazine contacted Dr Osikomaiya to respond to the allegation. She promised to conduct proper investigation on the Procurement Tender Board which is the body responsible for approval of contracts in the agency.
Replying to the message sent to her by The Source over the allegation Dr Osikomaiya said “Good day, Thank you for this notification. I would request that the director of procurement who did a Procurement Tenders Board assessment gets out the document of this company and investigations would be immediately carried out on this allegation.”
When the magazine contacted Adedigba to respond to the allegation against him, he said the company used to procure the contract belonged to his brother.
The magazine probed further to know the name of his brother and how he got the N9 million contract, but Adedigba hung up the call, saying he doesn’t want to talk to any journalist.
That appears not to be true considering that the Account details of the company indicate that Adedigba is the sole signatory, and the account also carry his personal telephone number.
Prof. Abayomi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Ogboye and Dr Biodun Muritala, the Accountant General of the state did not answer the telephone calls made to them, text messages sent to them were not also answered.
Meanwhile, the magazine learned that Adedigba has been moved from his position following the furore generated by the controversy.
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