Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has grilled the pioneer Medical Director of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Benin, Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, for alleged furniture scam to the tune of N43 million awarded to a company based in Abuja.

Ugbodaga, who was appointed last year, was invited for investigation, according to a letter by Head, Investigation, Benin office of EFCC, ACE 1 Ibeleman Bristol.

A copy of the letter, sighted by THISDAY last night, said the investigation was made pursuant to section 38 (1) & (2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establish) ACT, 2004.

The letter, dated October 31, 2025, was titled, Investigation Activities, and addressed to the medical director.

EFCC, in the letter, also asked Ugbodaga to furnish the commission with information/document on the list of nominal rolls and payroll of all the staff in the agency, including permanent, temporary, contract and casual staff.

Others were the status of the contracts/projects carried out from 2023 to date, status of the contracts/projects either completed or ongoing, the companies, the contractors the projects were awarded to and the amount paid to each company for the contracts/projects to include account details.

The anti-corruption agency beamed the searchlight on Ugbodaga on the heels of a petition by aggrieved workers following the failure of the hospitals management to resume payment of their suspended salaries.

The aggrieved workers accused Ugbodaga, who promised to deliver on the mandate set before him by the federal government, of running the National Orthopaedic Hospital like a private entity without recourse to the Public Service Rules. 

It was alleged that before Ugbodaga received directive from the Federal Ministry of Health in July 2025 to recruit some staff, he had already commenced the recruitment exercise in December 2024.

However, trouble ensued in the hospital in August 2025, when he unilaterally and abruptly stopped the payment of salaries of 20 staff without notice or query, for undisclosed reasons.

Aside none payment of salaries of the affected staff, EFCC was also investigation the appointment of the MDs Personal Assistant, Adedeji Bode Segun, said to be holding two federal government jobs running concurrently. 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the aggrieved staff fumed that workers of the hospital sat on bare floor, mats, wrappers and on patients beds, to perform their duties while others made use of inherited furniture.

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