The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, has directed the arrest and prosecution of Mr Ndukwe Ayansi and five others for allegedly diverting materials intended for the state’s Ministry of Health.
The directive was revealed on Sunday in a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor.
According to the statement, Governor Nwifuru discovered the illicit activity while en route to inspect ongoing projects. He noticed a Toyota Dyna truck being loaded with registers, books, and other materials from the Ministry of Health’s warehouse.
“The governor drove in and made inquiries but, dissatisfied with the responses, probed further and discovered that patient data registers, cards, and other documents had been moved into the vehicle,” Mr Uzor stated.
“It was also uncovered that all the documents had been sold without government approval.”
Speaking at the scene of the incident, Governor Nwifuru expressed his outrage, describing the act as sabotage of government efforts to improve the health sector.
“I have been in office for less than two years and have already spent over ₦6 billion on purchasing equipment for primary healthcare centres and general hospitals.
“And this is what you, the storekeepers, are doing—selling government documents without approval on a Saturday afternoon.
“Our rural hospitals are requesting registers, data entry forms, and hospital cards, yet the materials produced by the government are being sold by you,” the governor lamented.
The suspects have been handed over to the police for further investigation, Mr Uzor confirmed.
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