The host community of the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital (DUFUTH), Uburu, Ebonyi State, has petitioned the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Agwu Uzoma, demanding a detailed explanation of the N7.5 billion budgetary allocation to the hospital in the last two years and how the funds were spent.
The community said their probe of the funds was contained in Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.
It therefore demanded that the hospital’s management release comprehensive records of budgetary allocations, project approvals and implementation details between 2023 and 2025.
In the petition signed by the community’s lawyer, Lucky Ezealor, the community expressed concern over the management of public funds and the transparency of project implementation by the management of the teaching hospital.
The community is therefore seeking full and detailed information, records, and documents, covering allocations for both completed and ongoing projects, including those purportedly sited outside the hospital’s premises.
Among the numerous projects listed are several high-value allocations captured in the hospital’s 2023–2025 budgets.
Furthermore, the community asked the hospital’s management to provide names of contractors and the contract sum for each project, the level of completion and disbursements made to date, and the physical locations of all projects, including those situated outside Uburu.
Citing Sections 1(1), 2(3), 4, and 7(5) of the FOI Act, the community emphasized that the hospital was legally bound to provide the requested information within seven days or face legal action.
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“Any willful refusal, neglect, or failure to comply would constitute a violation of the Act, actionable under Section 20, which empowers citizens to approach the Federal High Court for judicial enforcement and damages,” the community said in the petition.
Reacting to the petition, the hospital said it was not a stranger to public scrutiny, stressing that as a public institution, it was natural for various critical stakeholders to take an interest in the hospital’s operations.
It however, observed that the ultimatum to the hospital by the community, while legitimate in principle, appears to be part of a broader scheme that warrants closer examination.
“As we navigate the intricacies of the enquiry, we wish to inform the concerned individuals that we are carefully processing the request, as some information requested may require inputs and comments of other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government.
“However, the timing and tone of the demand raise eyebrows, coming immediately after a neighbouring community within the same local government was pronounced the permanent site of the newly established DUFUTH College of Health Technology, a decision opposed within DUFUTH’s host community.
“The Freedom of Information bill, while a legitimate tool for transparency, has been clearly wielded in this instance as a sword seeking to ridicule and disgrace.
“DUFUTH, as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Health, operates within a defined framework of accountability, with multiple oversight bodies from our supervising ministry, hospital board, internal and external auditors ensuring the integrity of its operations like sentinels guarding the gate of probity.
“The hospital records are an open book. Its tenders board conducts open and transparent bidding processes, advertised publicly in national dailies, with every transaction and decision meticulously documented for scrutiny, and the BPP standard followed to the letter.
“Under the incumbent CMD, transparency is the sole anchor that steadies the ship called DUFUTH”, the hospital said through its Public Relations Officer, Agwu Nwogo.
