…celebrating a goal getter amid crisis and monumental achievements
By Durowoju Oladele
Professor Adewale Abdul-Samiu Musa -Olomu, the Chief Medical Director – Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta , A federal owned specialist hospital which came into existence on 21st April, 1993 with a philosophy of excellence in the provision of medical services to the gateway state of Ogun and other neighbouring states and Nigeria.
The vision of the Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta is to provide quality and timely clinical and other supportive services to patients within its jurisdiction in a milieu of qualitative research and training activities, and becomes the first choice of seeking qualitative health care services in Ogun State and environs.
The Hospital has various departments and units among are the routine and emergency diagnostic and therapeutic clinical services covering different specialties including obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, nephrology, psychiatry, general and oncologic surgery, orthopaedics and trauma, plastic surgery and others.
Professor Olomu is a Professor of thyroidectomy. He has won several awards including, the United Nations Peace award in recognition of his transparent and result oriented administration in the FMC Abeokuta.
The erudite academic Surgeon has written over 130 scholarly researched papers and is widely published in reputable international journals
He was appointed as the Medical Director of the Center in June 1, 2017.
After finishing his first term as the Medical Director of FMC Abeokuta, former President Muhammadu Buhari reappointed him as the Medical Director for another term of four years.
His reappointment was sequel to recommendation made to the Presidency by the former Hon. Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora.
The former Minister congratulated Prof. Musa-Olomu and charged him to redouble his efforts towards the provision of qualitative health care services in the Centre.
Responding, a highly elated Medical Director thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, the Hon. Ministers of Health for the confidence reposed in him.
He pledged his determination to fast track the holistic development of the hospital.
The first term of the Medical Director recorded monumental landmarks including the acquisition of 170 hectares of land for the proposed University of Medicine and Medical Sciences.
The National Assembly passed the bill seeking for the establishment of the university.
In addition, a number of novel surgeries were successfully carried out under the watch of the Internationally acclaimed thyroid surgeon.
For instance, the Cardiothorasic surgeons who were recently employed by Prof. Musa-Olomu successfully carried out impairment surgery, insertion of permanent peace maker and PDA litigation among others.
On their part, the Neuro surgeons, also employed by the Medical Director successfully removed no fewer than 200 brain tumors while the General Surgery Laparoscopic surgeons also did pin-hole surgery among several others.
The Medical Director’s first term administration similarly procured latest equipment for virtually all the clinical departments but most significantly, the Radiology department, that was equipped with machines such as 64 slides CT, Mammography, Fluoroscopy, and Digital X Ray among several others.
A similar gesture was extended to the Laboratory and Eye Clinic departments that were stocked with latest laboratory and eye equipment.
All the six departments, including the latest Radiology department presented for accreditation during the first term of Prof. Musa- Olomu were successfully accredited.
The administration of the Medical Director equally laid the foundation and successfully completed the following projects: former President Muhammadu Buhari International Conference Centre and Telemedicine hall, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo Pharmacy Building complex, Gymnasium & new Physiotherapy building complex.
Prof. Musa- Olomu during his first term in office embarked on the construction of an International Radiotherapy Centre. The construction work is has already been completed.
Other achievements include the construction of 180 bedded ward being endowed to the Centre.
Establishment of a Police Post as a proactive measure to ensure security of lives and property within the hospital premises.
Establishment of Oxygen plant in the centre that presently produces 120 cylinders on a weekly basis.
Similarly, the administration of Prof Musa-Olomu introduced Electronic Medical Record (EMR) which replaced the archaic record keeping manually. He also implemented Internal Communication System ( ICS) for ease of communication within the Centre.
The hospital came first in the servicom presidency ranking of FMCs in the country during the first term of Prof Musa-Olomu.
But in spite of all these landmark achievements, the administration is fraught with so many crisis and alleged fraud and corruption.
In his first term there were allegations of some multifaceted corruption scandal which threatened to tear the Hospital
At the centre of the raging storm is the Medical Director, Prof. Adewale Musa-Olomu, who was accused of irregularity in date of birth and abuse of office.
Aside the controversy around his age, the MD was alleged to have employed his son, Babatunde, and in less than a year of the son’s appointment, he allegedly granted him study leave in a European country, with pay.
Worthy of note is the fact that the former board members were divided over the allegations against the MD.
Part of the allegations were that the Medical Director illegally increased the hospital’s payroll with over 1,700 workers without getting approval from the Board.
There was also allegation that the hospital bought a refurbished Computerised Tomography (CT) scanner, but at the price of a new one.
The machine, bought with N230m, was said to have developed a fault four months after installation.
Musa-Olomu, who denied the allegations, said the issues were being brought up by his detractors who wanted to deny him a second term in office.
Age irregularity
It was also alleged that the Abeokuta-South, Ogun State indigene, has two different declarations of age documents.
Information on the official website of the FMC, Abeokuta, where Musa-Olomu’s profile was displayed, showed that he had his residency training in General Surgery at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State.
He later joined the services of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in 1999.
Records at both hospitals revealed that he was born on January 6, 1960.
In fact, he wrote the date of birth himself on an application form to be a consultant surgeon at OOUTH.
A declaration of age document, dated February 24,1978, sworn to at the High Court of Justice, Abeokuta, Ogun State, shows that he was born on that day.
However, his record at the University of Ilorin, from where he joined the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, showed that he was born on January 6, 1964.
A statutory declaration of age, sworn to at the Customary Court, Kisi, Oyo State, said the new change occurred on March 2, 2009.
According to an FMC official, Musa-Olomu has now adopted 1964 as his new year of birth.
He noted that without the adjustment, the MD would have attained 60, the mandatory service age of retirement, in 2020.
Indeed, two persons, identified as Mr Abdulahi Abiodun and Mr Sunday Anisere, petitioned the FMC’s board of management, drawing its attention to the discrepancy.
The hospital’s former board, led by Dr Abdulaziz Mahuta, while acting on the two separate petitions, set up a committee to look into the allegation of age alteration, among several others.
The five-man panel started its assignment on March 24, 2021, and concluded its report on April 12, 2021, holding both physical and virtual meetings.
Musa-Olomu, in his defence before the committee, claimed that the 1960 year of birth was the record given by his mother, while 1964 was the record of his father.
He also explained that as a university professor, he was covered by Section 4 of the University Acts, adding that his retirement age had moved to 70.
However, the committee’s report, reviewed by the board, showed that the MD started his secondary school in 1973.
It averred that Musa-Olomu, based on the 1960 record, began his secondary school at 13, while the 1964 date he switched to “for reasons best known to him” would mean he started at nine.
According to the board, the FMC, Abeokuta, is not a university, and Musa-Olomu’s appointment to the post of medical director is under the Federal Ministry of Health, which is governed by Public Service Rules.
It said there was enough evidence that Musa-Olomu “tampered with his age.”
“The fact that there are two different dates of birth used in his career progression contravenes the extant circular ref. No. HCSF/PSO/004/T/66 dated 3rd February, 2009 (vide Annexures VIII). The incumbent should be made to realise the implications of his actions within the purview of the law, especially the administrative and legal consequences,” the board added.
The cited document, which was signed by a former Permanent Secretary, Ammuna Lawal-Alli, for the Head of Service of the Federation, forbids alteration in date of birth.
The former board also said the action was a breach of Section 020108 of the Public Service Rules (2008), which read, “Date of birth recorded on appointment by an officer shall not be changed throughout the career of the officer. Any contravention shall be regarded as an act of serious misconduct.”
Abuse of office
Apart from age controversy, Musa-Olomu’s son, Babatunde, was employed as an engineer in the works department of the hospital on October 19, 2018.
Eleven months after his employment, the MD allegedly approved him for a study leave in a German university.
The leave was with pay.
According to Public Service Rule 100223, study leave is to be granted to a confirmed serving officer.
Investigations conducted by the hospital’s former board showed that four other officers were granted leave to study: two outside the country and two in the country, around the same time.
Out of the three going outside the country, only Babatunde’s leave was with pay.
Due to the petition of abuse of office against Musa-Olomu, his son was said to have refunded the salaries – N2.4m – which he collected during the period.
Refurbished CT scan
Another allegation against him was a 64-slice CT scanner bought by the hospital at N230m and installed on May 7, 2018. The hospital was said to have been billed N235m for the medical equipment and is still owing N5m.
It was, however, allegedly discovered that the scanner had been used on patients elsewhere before it was brought and installed at the hospital.
In about four months after installation, the machine broke down due to power surge.
The gadget supplier, Dr Ben Itsuokor, was said to have been interviewed by the former board in a telephone conversation.
Itsokor, who is based in London, United Kingdom, said the scanner got damaged due to “wrong specification of the UPS jointly given by the contractor’s engineers.”
However, the former board chairman was said to have confronted him with the different dates of manufacturing of the machine components.
The former board then wondered why an old CT scanner was bought at the cost of a brand new one.
Employment without due process
Six months after Prof. Musa-Olomu became the MD, the hospital nominal roll stood at 2,590.
However, by April 30, 2021, the total number of staff paid by the hospital was 4,303.
This means between December 2018 and April 2021, the FMC Abeokuta, had employed 1,713 workers.
Between the time of Musa-Olomu’s appointment and now, more than 2,000 people had been employed by the hospital.
Financial records of the hospital revealed that as of April 2021, the hospital paid about N933m as salaries.
Between February and April 2021, the hospital spent N2.3bn on salaries, which included workers on the IPPIS and those not captured on the IPPIS.
An anonymous group in the hospital, Concerned Health Workers Citizens, accused Musa-Olomu of not complying with public service rules and circulars on guidelines for appointment into Federal Public Service.
“He solely recruited the personnel without any internal/external manpower, planning and budgeting, advertisement publications, recruitment interviews, and procedural approvals from relevant MDAs. Not even recourse to the board of management, which is the body saddled with that responsibility,” the group said.
Though the Medical Director has denied all these allegations, but his accusers were unsatisfied with his denials . They went a step further by dragging him before a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta.
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Youths Reoriented Initiative of Nigeria (AYRION) who approached the Federal High Court on behalf of the aggrieved stakeholders seek for the removal of Prof Musa Olomu as Medical Director of FMC Abeokuta based on the allegations listed above.
But a judgment of the Court threw out and dismissed the suit number FHC/ AB/ CS/ 100/21 instituted by the body, declaring that the plaintiff failed to sufficiently showed any justifiable cause that the suit falls under public interest
The trial judge, Justice (Mrs) O.O Oguntoyinbo in her 30 page judgment said the plaintiff has no locus standi in instituting the suit, and therefore awarded N100,000.00 damages against the plaintiff
The lead defence counsel, Kunle Kalejaiye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) while reacting, lauded the judgment describing it as a triumph of truth over falsehood.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, equally pointed out that, nobody can build something on nothing, stressing that the judgment is to illustrate the fact that truth has caught up with falsehood
Not done with the Court pronouncement, there were several moves and attempt by different groups within and outside the Hospital to ensure that Professor Adewale Musa Olomu is eased out for what they termed as his high handedness and corruption filled administration.
Part of those rooting for his removal are some stakeholders in the Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta who recently asked the Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare, Tunisia Alausa, to compel the Chief Medical Director of Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta, Professor Adewale Musa-Olomu to proceed on terminal leave.
The group comprising some staff of the center, human rights group and other stakeholders said as the CMD of the foremost health institution will be attaining his mandatory 60 years by January 6, 2024, Prof Musa-Olomu must be compelled to proceed on terminal leave by October 6, 2023.
Also a non governmental organization, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda wrote several letters to anti corruption agencies like ICPC, EFCC and Head of Service of Federation asking for the investigation of Professor Olomu and stating reasons why he must leave on the attainment of the mandatory retirement age of 60 years.
But with his ’60’ birthday being celebrated today Saturday January 6, 2024. Professor Adewale Abdul-Samiu Musa -Olomu has truly crossed many rivers and went through thick and thin. Happy birthday Sir.
Dr. Durowoju Oladele, PhD, is journalist, scholar and author he writes from Abeokuta. He can be reached on durowojuoladele@gmail.com
