EXPOSED! DSTG officials connive with Cooperative EXCO to embezzle N2.5b members’ savings

…EXCOs use funds to acquire fuel satiations, choice properties

…I have no idea of the crisis – Commissioner

…Director says we are aware

…Retirees, workers can’t access savings, or make withdrawals

…Health Workers call for a probe, indicts Perm. Sec

 By Shedrack Onitsha,———

Investigations by Advocate have revealed how some officials of the Delta State Government connived with executive committee of Delta State Hospital Management Board Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society II; (HMBMPCSll) to embezzle over N2.5bn of health workers savings thereby sending many to early grave.

Health workers in the employment of the State Hospital Management Board were encouraged to save through the thrift scheme referred to as Health Workers Cooperative Savings.

The workers pay their monthly subscription which is deducted from their salaries at source by the state government through the Hospital Management Board and remitted to the Cooperative Society.

Advocateng.com gathered that the intention of the scheme is to help workers save for their retirement and also build up fund for special projects, which they could access through soft loans with minimal interest rate spread between one to three years.

Upon attaining a certain amount of savings in the cooperative, the workers are entitled to a 300% of his or her savings as loan, which will subsequently be paid back through the monthly subscription until loans is paid in full.

Unfortunately, for the health workers who enlisted in the HMBMPCSll, this was not the case, following a leadership crisis that rocked the cooperative executive in 2011 over power tussle between the then Chairman, Mr Nwanze Lawrence and the Treasurer, Mrs Onyenekunum Gladys.

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Leadership crisis and holding on to power illegally

A member of the cooperative, Mr. Aggerh Isaac Aaron, speaking to Advocateng.com on the crisis bedeviling the cooperative attributed it to power tussle amongst the leadership and stay-tight syndrome of those charged to run the cooperative.   

According to him, the Mr Nwanze Lawrence-led executives who were elected to spend two years, stayed more than two years with the excuses that they are having court cases. “We don’t know who took them to court or whatever; they are supposed to spend two years, and then conduct AGM, which is our Annual General Meeting, to determine their re-election or to elect new executives, but they failed to hold AGM, and they had spent between 4 to 5years.

After 5 years our board members (The Organizers), DHMB, the Chairman of the board, heard our complain, forced Mrs Onyenekunum Gladys to resign and hand over everything relating to the Cooperative to this present executives, the lady refused and along the line, brought in the police to threaten them in the board which led to her sack; she was sacked from the Cooperative.

“This present Executives which was put in power and was supposed to spend six (6) months but has spent up to two(2) years now, yet they have not conducted AGM, neither have they given any statement of account of how the Cooperative is faring.

“If you want to withdraw your membership, they will not stop deduction, if your write letter to stop deduction to the board, they letter will not be attended to, that is how it has been for some months now.

“And of recent, news came, that they have started paying dividend, they are paying some persons, N2000, others, N6000; for people who have over N2million in their saving, we don’t know the criteria of the payment that is the problem.

“Secondly, people who are retiring are not being paid anything; they are suffering, when they meet the Executives to complain, the present Executives will refer them to the former Executives, that they don’t have their records, jokes like that; people are bitter, no one is enjoying it any more.

“Presently, no account or whatever concerning the Cooperative and the Executives are receiving the cheques of about N40million+ every month as our deduction from the state government.

“The board decided to meet with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, who is the supposed head of all Cooperatives, the meeting didn’t yield any positive outcome because no account or anything or whatsoever about the Cooperative, rather it was the issue of dividend that was being discussed.

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“The main problem now is how to withdraw membership, since they will not stop deduction even when you withdraw and the court cannot really do anything since Cooperative is a free will organization, the Law of the Cooperative supersedes any court injunction; it is the duty of the Permanent Secretary to do something about it, but now, no positive respond, that is our predicament.

Speaking also, a retiree, Mr Joseph Udughe lamented that him and many others have retired from service but sadly, they cannot get their money paid, noting that in the past 7 years many health workers who retired could not access their funds and that many are dead as a result of the frustration.

He explained that the situation is very pathetic, because the supervisory ministries are playing games with the welfare of the workers, “the aim of joining cooperative is to get your money six (6) months after retirement, your personal money deducted for such.

Giving a background of the crisis he said: “A friend brought in Madam Gladys who later became the treasurer and ended up being the President and the Treasurer, this lead to so much corruption everywhere; she was handling everything and turned it to a family business.

“Gladys was therefore overthrown l0 and an interim government was set up that was supposed to stay for six 6 months but they ended up staying for two years, today they are just doing anything they like with the Cooperative.

“I said it in our platform that, this is a financial crime, reportable to EFCC. So, the media should come in, the Government should be aware and also the Ministry should probe the fraud going on.

I have retired since March, till now; I have not received my money. Now no payment of the retirement dividends; which is the essence of entering the Cooperative.”

How Onyenekunum connived with some top government officials to embezzle over N1.5b

Mrs Onyenekunum, then Treasurer was made a sole administrator with the alleged backing of the two compromised Permanent Secretaries, in the Hospital Management Board and that Ministry of Commerce and Industry, she became sole administrator.

Advocate further gathered Mrs Onyenekunum, with her cartel in government stop giving loans to workers, those who retired could not access their saving and also refuse to pay dividend for about five years and subsequently turned cooperative into her personal estate buying petrol stations and choice properties in Asaba and its environs.

However, following the petition by some members, the woman was asked to resign, but rather than taking the paths of honour, she brought in police to harass government officials leading to her sack.

To cover her tracks, Mrs Onyenekunum allegedly took with her all financial documents of the cooperative and refuses to submit the accounts to the caretaker committee set up to midwife Annual General Meeting, AGM, within six months and elect new executive.

Our investigations revealed that under her watch over N1.5b of the workers saving was allegedly fleeced in connivance with some top officials of Hospital Management Board and that Ministry of Commerce and Industry

All efforts to speak with Mrs Onyenekunum on her involvement were unsuccessful as she didn’t pick calls to her mobile phone or reply to messages sent to her phone line as at the time of going to press.

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Azino Committee continue the fraud, fleeced over N1b

The state government in 2016 through the state Hospital Management Board and Ministry of Commerce and Industry set up Mr Whisky Azino caretaker committee with a mandate to organize the Annual General Meeting, AGM, within six months and elect new executive.

However, the committee rather than initiate the plans to hold AGM and elect substantives executive for the corporative society, employed unholy tactics to stay on and with the backing of some Directors in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has refuse to organize election for new executives to come in.

Advocate gathered that Mr Azino committee since coming on board in 2016 has being getting N40m monthly as workers subscription from the Delta state government, but like the  Mrs Onyenekunum-led executive failed to give out loans or pay workers who have retired.

When we contacted Mr Azino on the phone, he confirmed that the cooperative is experiencing some challenges which is making it difficult to get the true records of worker saving, adding that he cannot talk much on phone.

According to him; “it is unfortunate sir; I won’t be able to disclose anything to you in regard to the Cooperative on this platform (on phone) because I don’t know who I am talking to and who and who reported this to you? Who are the bodies that reported the issues of the Cooperative to you? If you want to find out the details about the Cooperative, we are to meet one on one, not on phone please.

“I respect your office; whatever they have told you, might by true and might not be true. As a journalist, it is good you verify and process information before you display them.

“I advice please, and please, this forum is not the best place to disclose the information you need about the Cooperative, for now I cannot say anything and thank God I have your number, I will get back to you.

However, he didn’t call back as at the time of going to press, after three days that he promised to call for us to meet.

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I have no idea of the crisis -Chika Ossai

Meanwhile, when Advocate contacted the Ministry of Trade and Investment, as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as it is now being called; the Commissioner, Mr Chika Ossai and his Director of Cooperative Societies, Mr Onyeapu Chukwudi, were speaking in a discontent tone.

Mr Ossai told our correspondent in a telephone interview that he is not aware of any crisis in the State Hospital Management Board Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society II; (HMBMPCSll) a ministry he supervise and thereafter referred us to the Director of Corporative Societies, whom he says is in a better position to avail us information.

However, Mr Chukwudi when asked if he was aware of the crisis in the HMBMPCSll, he said the ministry was aware of the crisis and that a caretaker committee was setup to reposition the cooperative, adding that to his knowledge the committee is doing well in managing the crisis.

According to him, “we are aware, members are aware too, because of that they step up a caretaker committee to handle the matter.