Governor of Ebonyi State David Umahi, on Wednesday ordered the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Cletus Ofoke to take legal action against the Presbyterian Joint Hospital Uburu to account for the intervention funds released to them by the immediate past governor of the State.
Umahi spoke during a live broadcast at the New Government house complex Abakaliki.
He accused the hospital management of diverting the funds instead of using the funds to upgrade the hospital.
Umahi alleged that the hospital which was one of six mission hospitals funded by the government of chief Martin Elechi, fraudulently used the funds to establish a private university outside the state.
“No one would use the name of the church to defraud the state.”
Recall that the state government had last month took over the administration of the mission hospital after the expiration of the 100 years lease given to the hospital by the Uburu community in Ohaozara local government area of the state.
Reacting to the continued strike action by the Academic Staff Union of University ASUU EBSU, Umahi described the strike action as unreasonable saying that while the lecturers would still get their salaries after the strike action, parents and students would be at the receiving end.
“ASUU strike is becoming unreasonable. The parents and children are the ones being punished. Everything is by negotiation, we must try to be reasonable and not to always stick to our guns. We must have to waive some of our rights in this nation for the country to move forward”.
Governor Umahi also at the broadcast, announced the intention of the state government to handover the COVID-19 treatment center constructed by his administration to the federal government.
The State Governor said that the state government used the sum of N4b in the construction of the hospital adding that the government is moved to handover the hospital to alleviate the bed space challenges of the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki.
The plan to handover the hospital came after his visit to FETHA where he observed with dismay the condition of some patients who had to sleep on bare-floor and on benches after they had been discharged because of space.
