It started a mere allegations, but months after, petitions are foot-dragging the smooth running of the activities in Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta over alleged financial misdealings. Blueprint.ng correspondent reports.

In January, 2025, when Dr Dayo Isreal, the current All Progressive Congress (APC) national youth leader was appointed as chairman board of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Abeokuta, one of the aims of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was to transform the health institution into a world class model healthcare institution, with focus on improving the infrastructure and ensuring staff productivity.

His appointment was widely hailed by leaders such as Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as a step toward energetic and innovative governance in the health sector.

Dr Dayo therefore assumed office with a clear mission, to collaborate with the hospital management led by outgone medical director, Professor Musa-Olomu and other stakeholders in bringing significant changes to the health institution.

One of his first points of duty call was meeting with former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo for royal blessings, the Nigeria Medical Association (MMA) executives, among others.

He pledged to transform FMC Abeokuta into a world-class health institution that would attract international health tourism.

He also promised to move the hospital away from the national power grid to renewable energy in order to ensure sustainable and uninterrupted power for medical services.

One year after, allegations/petitions

Few months into his assumption of office, several issues arose, of which among include the expenditure of about N25.5m within two weeks by the board chairman.

In a letter dated March 11 2025, a copy of which was directed to the coordinating minister of health, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate by the management of the institution and signed by then medical director, Prof Musa Olomu, it details situation report on the activities of the board chairman in regards to financial handlings.

The letter reads, “I humbly write to acquaint you with the activities of the newly- appointed chairman, board of management of the hospital, Dr Adedayo Israel who made a two-week tour of facilties of the hospital including rural annexes. He was received with the honour deserving of his new office.

“During the tour, he dabbled into the day-to-day running of the hospital by having departmental heads and heads of units to make presentations towards provide him with the challenges of the work place which I consider an interference with my duties as the medical director and negates the provisions of the administrative guidelines regulating the relationship between parastatals/government-owned companies and the government to which his attention was drawn.

“No legal document either from the presidency or the ministry was presented to the hospital management introducing him to the hospital as the chairman, board of management of this institution.

“To maintain the peace, he was given the freedom to carry out his activities. This saw him set aside the position of government rules and regulations in his quest to acquaint himself with the operations of the hospital.

“His request for an official SUV car and co-pilot vehicle in the sum of over three hundred million naira drew the ire of the management as no budgetary provision existed for this demand. This is without prejudice to the fact that I have served as medical director for over seven years without a befitting official vehicle for my office.

“The hospital was made to spend well over twenty-five million naira to cater for hotel accommodation and other incidental expenses on him and his retinue of police orderlies, aides, special and technical assistants at the end of his tour. This has negatively impacted the smooth running of the hospital in meeting the daily needs of providing services to patients and paying vendors for the supply of consumables and services rendered to the hospital.

The letter reads further that, “More worrisome is his current disposition to the appointment of a substantive medical director after my exit on 31st May 2025 as he claimed that it is well within his responsibility as chairman, board of management to midwife the process for the appointment of a new medical director against the position of the ministry.

“This activity, if allowed, would further plunge the hospital into serious financial crisis as the institution is yet to recover from the humungous depletion of scarce financial resources that the two-week tour gulped. Rendering services would be adversely affected.

“On June 1, 2025, the hospital management and day-to-day running of the hospital under the leadership of acting medical director, Dr Saheed Adediran was totally hijacked by the board chairman, thereby relieving staff of their duties and introducing non government staff into the running of a subsidiary of the hospital (FMCA Consult Limited),” the letter noted.

In another letter dated October 13 2025, a group known as ‘Concerned Staff of FMC Abeokuta’ petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) over what they described as abuse of power and mismanagement of FMC, Abeokuta by the board chairman.

Part of the allegations against him, according to their petition, includes that he unilaterally removed directors of FMCA Consult Limited, a company incorporated by the immediate past hospital management in order to increase Internally Generated Revenue for FMCA, making himself the majority shareholder and appointed Ag. Medical director and the director of adminisiraion as subordinate shareholders, and that he also appointed political followers and supporters who are not civil servants, nor staff of FMCA as managers of the company fully funded by the federal government.

They also alleged that Dr Dayo used his political power and influence to intimidate and oppress the civil servant in FMCA, mismanaged government funds in violations of government financial regulations this, the group says, constitutes a total flagrant disregard for law and ethical standards of the institution.

It was also gathered that under the instruction of the board chairman and in an attempt to curry recognition from staff, the director of administration and then Ag medical director, allegedly manipulated the approval to conduct the 2025 staff promotion obtained from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. This, they said has generated widespread dissatisfaction among affected staff.

Change is inevitable — Dayo responds to criticism

Meanwhile, when Blueprint called Dr Dayo about those allegations, he insisted that they were unfounded, saying that his accusers were strangers to change; therefore do not appreciate doing things the right way.

According to him, he could not have mismanaged any funds as he is not a signatory or handler to any of the financial accounts at the centre or the business arm FMCA consult.

“How do you mis-manage what you don’t have access to or control. It’s a mere clinging to straw of sinking individuals who have been denied access to continue to exploit the resources of FMC Abeokuta and its business interests.

“Our job as a board is to give fiscal direction and conduct oversight in line with Mr President’s renewed hope agenda and we would do it no matter whose ox is gored,” he maintained. (Blueprint)

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