Education

OAUTH CMD Defies Buhari’s Order to Vacate Office

Published

3 years ago

March 29, 2022

…Re-appoints self to Preside Over under-the-table Contracts

Jeph Bisi

Against President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive, Prof. Victor Adetiloye has refused to vacate office as the Chief Medical Director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), having completed his second tenure of four years on January 23, 2022.

This is as he sits tight to preside over multi-million-naira contracts without the approval of the board of directors of the institution, in a manner that has been described as disregard for civil service regulations and due process.

Prof Adetiloye who was first appointed the Chief Medical Director of OAUTH on January 29, 2014, finished his first tenure on January 23, 2018. Although his second appointment did not come till June of that same year, he imposed himself on the board as the sole administrator in an acting capacity, a move that contravened the provision and regulations of the civil service.

He was expected to hand over to the next senior person while awaiting his second appointment as provided by the provision, which clearly provides that on no ground should an outgoing CMD act even when he or she is awaiting a second appointment. But on the contrary, Adetiloye imposed himself on the board as a sole administrator, dishing out orders and contracts with impunity.

This however prompted members of the board to request his letter of extension in office, if there was any, that validated his continued stay in office as CMD in an acting capacity- a document he could not provide till June 2018.

This was after representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health on the Board brought a circular, one from the Ministry of Health and the other one from the Secretary to the Government saying that no CMD should hold the office in an acting capacity.

This followed several letters and correspondences that were written to the Ministry of Health, Head of Service, and the office of Secretary to Government of the Federation by concerned members of the Hospital Board.

However, in September 2018, Prof Adetiloye had a renewal of his appointment that took effect from January 2018.

Our findings have revealed that Adetiloye had applied for his second appointment with effect from January 23, 2018, which was also recommended by the Federal Ministry of Health, the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to president Buhari with effect from the same date.

Similarly, the Chief of Staff to the President had also recommended the same date to the President, all of which were approved by President Buhari.

In two separate letters obtained by THE GLEAMER NEWS dated 8 March 2022 which was signed by Chairman, Management Board, Shehu Barau Ningi, and copied to the SFG and the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof. Adetiloye was requested to hand over to the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (C-MAC) Dr. Owojiagbe, ‘‘who is the most senior officer in the Administrative hierarchy as Acting CMD with immediate effect’’.

In the same vein, in a letter dated 28th February 2022, from the office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, with reference No: SGF.6/XXV/322, had directed the Honourable Minister of Health to with immediate effect in line with President Buhari’s directive ask Prof Adetiloye to vacate office.

The letter with the title: Re- REQUEST FOR THE CLARIFICATION ON RENEWAL APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSOR VICTOR ADEBAYO ADETILOYE AS CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR, OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, reads: “I write to acknowledge receipt of your letter Ref: SMH/557/9.3/IV/39 dated January 2022 (attached) in respect of the above subject and to inform, having cross-checked the records of this office, the reappointment of Prof. Victor Adeliloye is with effect from 24th January 2018, in line with Mr. President’s directive.

“Accordingly, Prof. Victor ADETILOYE should be directed to vacate office immediately having completed his second tenure, which expired on 23rd January 2022.

A source from the Teaching Hospital has alleged that the Ministry of Health has refused to act on President Buhari’s directive for selfish reasons, one of which he said was for contracts.

He said: “As we speak, he (Adetiloye) is preparing to award contracts to settle his cronies to cover up for the illegal contracts he has awarded in the past in acting capacity, which were not approved by the board.

“He is now the sole administrator, running the hospital in disregard for the rules and regulations that regulate administrative activities

He said he was afraid to see that the President of Nigeria issued an order that people could flagrantly disobey. ‘‘The reason is unconnected with the over N1b COVID-19 funds that he cannot give an account of, the source said.

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Education

NELFUND assures students of smart system to improve loan access

Published

4 weeks ago

May 7, 2025

The Gleamer

Mariam Abeeb

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has assured students it was working assiduously towards building a technology driven system that would improve easy access to its loans.

This was as the FUND disclosed that no fewer than 320,000 students have thus far been paid with many more currently undergoing verification process to enable their payments.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr gave the assurances in Abuja, while addressing Polytechnics , Monotechnics and Institutes at a Stakeholders Engagement Session/ Technical Workshop on NELFUND System Automation and Loan Application Processes.

Sawyerr noted that the FUND was targeting a platform where students could access loan with confidence and without stress in a manner that was transparent and accountable.

He said: “At NELFUND our mission goes beyond giving loans. It’s about opening doors, it’s about making sure every young Nigerian who is willing to learn and grow has a real shot regardless of their background, location, or chosen path of study.

“For too long, many students, especially in technical institutions, have faced steep financial barriers; some drop out, others have never even applied. This is the gap we at NELFUND are here to close. But we know we can’t do it alone.

“This is a shared mission. It belongs to all of us, government institutions and the private sector alike. This technical workshop marks a major step forward.

“We’re not only providing financing, we’re building a technology-driven system that makes it easier for students to apply, for institutions to verify, and for funds to be disbursed with speed, fairness, and accountability.

“We’re aiming for access without stress, a platform students can use with confidence; transparency and trust so that no one is left wondering where their application stands; partnership with purpose because your feedback, your data, and your cooperation are critical to making this work. We rely on you as our institutional partners to help us bring this vision to life.”

Sawyerr who commended the institutions for providing technical expertise, practical hands-on training that fuels industries and empowers communities over the years, said besides teaching skills, they have built careers, created employers and strengthened economies.

“You know your students, you understand their struggles, your insights will help us tailor this system to reflect the realities on ground, not just assumptions on paper.

“To NBTE, we value your steady leadership in shaping and regulating technical education. Your collaboration is key as we move forward fully.”

The NELFUND boss urged the institutions to partner with the FUND to deliver a system that was not just functional or sustainable, but one that was transformative

“As we move forward fully, integrating NELFUND processes with institutional systems and standards, let us remember at the heart of all of this is a student, a young Nigerian with dreams, with ambition, and the courage to pursue them. Everything we do must serve that student.

“The only way to make it happen is by working together, listening to one another, and staying grounded in real-world challenges. I encourage you all to engage fully today share what’s working and what is not, and together let’s build something that lasts.”

NELFUND ‘s Executive Director, Operations, Mr. Iyal Mustapha, disclosed that apart from the 320,000 students who have so far been paid, more verifications are currently ongoing.

Mustapha, who explained that the failure of not having the number of registered students tally with the number of students whose application process was deemed successful was from the part of students and not NELFUND, said there was an urgent need to bridge the gap.

He also disclosed that the FUND was considering connecting directly to institution’s portal to get the data they need, and how student could apply to their institutions portal without necessarily reaching out to NELFUND.

“One other thing that we’re trying to do going forward is to send some of our IT to all the institutions so that we can see how possible it is we connect directly to your portal instead of saying please send us data. How can we connect using an API which makes it easier to get the data of any student coming to us directly from your portal and not from our portal. So we don’t need to be collecting any data again.

“At the same time, we’re thinking of seeing how is it possible that a student can apply to your portal without coming to us. So it makes it so easy for the student when they’re doing registration, when they’re doing payments, they can select either to apply for NELFUND loans and the process will go through your portal. So you have all the data without ever reaching to NELFUND. All we need is for you to give assurance these are your students and if we have that, we pay you directly. It makes it simpler and faster for all the students.”

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