A coalition of civil society groups have accused the Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Haruna Audu of allegedly awarding contract to a company he has vested interest.
The group in a petition addressed to the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello accused the Commissioner of using his office to gain advantages in award of contracts to companies that belongs to his school mate and an ally.
The petition signed by Comrade Ibrahim Kabir Dallah and made available to the media explained that the legal search on profile of two companies, viz: AKH Premier Healthcare Limited has Mr. Musa Abdulkarim Omoniye as Director, noting that the Director who has majority share capital is a classmate of the Commissioner who are doing business together.
According to the group, though the Premier Healthcare Limited has other four shareholders, Mr. Musa Abdulkarim Omoniye works with the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja as Obstetrician and Gynecologist, a situation he posited runs foul of the Kogi State Government Policy and Mandate of Transparency, Accountability and Open Contracting as contained in the Kogi State Bureau of Public Procurement Act.
According to the group, the Company which was registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission on 14th March, 2008 has a share capital of five million, wondering how could such company executes a contract worth N36 million.
The group also expressed concern that the Commissioner was also involved in contract splitting where they discovered a business name, which was registered under part “B” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990 as amended, a situation, they alleged denied other limited liability companies during the symbolic bidding.
“We have proof of reasonable suspicion that the Commissioner for Health in Kogi State is in the corrupt and immoral business of circumventing all established Due Process in the award of contracts in order to award it to himself through a corrupt front, one Dr. Musa Abdulkarim who we have been informed is an obstetrician and gynecologist in the service of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.
“Both the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Audu and Dr. Musa Abdulkarim who is Director in AKH Premier Healthcare Limited and the proprietor Marusa Integrated Services are classmates, close friends and associates.
“These companies receive over sixty percent, 60%, of all the contracts in the Kogi State Ministry of health without any regard to Due Process and transparency.” The groups allege in the petitions
Continuing, the group noted that But in one, out of the numerous jobs it has executed, it was awarded the contract of Supply of HIV Test Kits in the sum of Thirty-six Million Eight Hundred and Seventy-six Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty Naira (N36,876,950:00) only by the Kogi State Ministry of Health
“Other clear violation of the Kogi State Government Policy and Mandate of Transparency, Accountability and Open Contracting as contained in the Kogi State Bureau of Public Procurement Act exist, with regards to the extent the Commissioner can go to confer undue advantage to these companies which are not eligible to undertake government contracts over eligible ones.”
All effort to reach the Commissioner fails as his lines were switched off.
