NAFDAC In Rotting State, Petitioners Say, Alleging Fraud And Waste

BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKJUL 17, 2015

Whistleblowers at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have written a powerful petition to President Muhammadu Buhari alleging monumental fraud and waste of funds by its Director-General, Dr. Paul B. Orhii.

Dr. Orhii, a cousin of then notorious former Attorney General, Michael Aondoakaa who took up his cause before President Umaru Yar’Adua, was appointed to head the agency in January 2009.

The petitioners say the ongoing frauds include frivolous contract awards and supplies (LPOs), manipulated publicity efforts, donations, international air travel racketeering, and compulsory recertification by bottle and sachet water producers. The complaint lists 14 companies that are being used in the money games at NAFDAC.

They cite contracts, supply and installation of furniture for the NAFDAC Isolo office at over N370m, for example, which they describe as “over inflated from the original price not more than N180m.”

Similarly, “The sum of about N400m had been illegally withdrawn from the Agency’s purse between March 2013 to December 2014,” the document says. “This is a multimillion naira fraud by Dr. Paul Orhii and one of the legal officers in NAFDAC whose companies are usually used to perpetrate this evil.”

One of the most startling of the allegations concerns manipulation and conflict of interest in the work of the Director-General.

“Dr. Paul Orhii single handedly contracted a company belonging to himself and his associate to extract money from producers of bottle and sachet water across the nation. It was reported by one of the clients that after paying the sum of N15m to the consultant, in which his water was passed, and certificate issued to him.

“The NAFDAC lab rejected his water from being registered despite assurances given by the DG, NAFDAC’s company. This is one of the ways Dr. Paul Orhii has been extorting money illegally from innocent Nigerians for no reason.”

The petitioners also allege that over N4billion has been fraudulently withdrawn from the coffers of the agency in the past three years for fictitious advertising payment with the understanding by those responsible that Dr. Orhii would approve it.

“We therefore, appeal to you to act fast and use your good office to save the situation and bring back the lost glory of the Agency to the dream of the founding fathers in other for NAFDAC to keep “safe guarding the Health of the Nation,” they pleaded with President Buhari.

It would be recalled that in 2008, Orhii sued SaharaReporters publisher Omoyele Sowore for $25 million in a US District Court in Texas for the website’s reporting on the seedy nature of his engagement with the Nigerian government in a proposed legal case involving Pfizer and illegal drug tests in Kano. The court later dismissed the suit for lack of personal jurisdiction.

A source in Aondoakaa’s Ministry of Justice warned at that time that Dr. Orhii’s appointment portended serious danger for Nigeria.

“Aondoakaa, who oversees all prosecutions of fake drug criminals, is set to take over NAFDAC the same way he took over the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The EFCC has become a lapdog of corrupt politicians since Aondoakaa took it over,” the source said.

SaharaReporters was advised that by Orhii’s appointment, Aondoakaa intended to transform NAFDAC into a personal ATM, with massive and regular bribes to be delivered to him.

“Reliable sources told Saharareporters that Dr. Orhii was delivering up to N500 million monthly to Aondoakaa,” we reported. “As Orhii settled into the position, those figures grew substantively.”

As it turned out, Aondoakaa was the only person fired by President Goodluck Jonathan when he took office following the death of Umaru Yar’Adua, as he had been one of the strongest objectors to his becoming President.

The new revelations about Dr. Orhii’s track record as reflected in the new petition show that he is what he was feared to be. The greatest fear is the damage that may already have been done to the cause of fake drugs in Nigeria.

Full text of the petition:

MONUMENTAL FRAUDS AND WASTE OF TAX PAYERS MONEY BY DR. PAUL B. ORHII, DG NAFDAC

We bring to your notice the monumental frauds and corruption unprecedented being perpetrated by DG, NAFDAC, and his agents to enrich himself and his aids.

These spread from frivolous award of contracts, supplies (LPOs), unfounded media publicity, donations, International Ticketing and compulsory recertification exercise by bottle and sachet water producers etc.

Little from these aforementioned includes:

A). Contracts, supply & installation of furniture to NAFDAC Isolo office at the cost of over N370m of which was over inflated from the original price not more than N180m (by Cherrywood).

B). Burnt Warehouse in Lagos: The reconstruction was given to one of the DG NAFDAC aids always used in siphoning public funds without due process followed in the Award of contract (Mr. Livinius)

C). Laboratory Chemical/Glassware: The sum of about N400m had been illegally withdrawn from the Agency’s purse between March 2013 to December 2014. This is a multimillion naira fraud by Dr. Paul Orhii and one of the legal officers in NAFDAC whose companies are usually used to perpetrate this evil (See-Loren & Cliss Ltd; DBlink & Oxil Ltd and Den & Oslo Ventures Ltd).

D). Fencing of NAFDAC Abuja Office: New landed properties awarded without due process of which BPE was petitioned by one of the bidders which was later stepped down in order to prevent public awareness during the era of “Change”.

E).Agulu Zonal Laboratory, Anambra State: The multimillion naira (about N30M) painting contract was given to the present SA (DG), Dr. James Mbachiantim Tivwuche mistress who is yet to complete the project to 20% but has collected over 80% of the total project sum under the strict instruction of the DG and his SA. Moreso, the SA, after leaving NAFDAC to pursue his gubernatorial ambition had returned to the Agency without proper documentation (they acted through Tes’B Global Resources Service Ltd).

F). NAFDAC Projects in Benue State: the acclaimed landed property given to NAFDAC by the then Benue State Government administration of Gabriel Suswam in which NAFDAC paid over N30m for documentation, logistics and other auxiliary payment has been diverted for personal use by Dr. Paul Orhii. Till date, there is no trace of land or the refund of the N30m paid by NAFDAC.

G). Unlawful Collection of money through consultants from NAFDAC Clients (Immani & Crsytabel in various States of the country): Dr. Paul Orhii single handedly contracted a company belonging to himself and his associate to extract money from producers of bottle and sachet water across the nation. It was reported by one of the clients that after paying the sum of N15,000 to the consultant, in which his water was passed, and certificate issued to him.

The NAFDAC lab rejected his water from being registered despite assurances given by the DG, NAFDAC’s company. This is one of the ways Dr. Paul Orhii has been extorting money illegally from innocent Nigerians for no reason.

Below are some of the companies of which search light needs to focus:

• Livideco Global Services

• Safaco Global Services

• Doon Ventures

• Mabteg Engineering

• Daddmoh Project Ltd

• Symbolic Communication Ltd

• MediaCraft Communication Ltd

• Fashasoj Communication Ltd

• Immani

• Crsystable

• Pacific Printing Press

• SunnyAyo Business Ventures

• Celesonic

• Tes’B Global Resources Service. These companies had been for frivolous supplies and award of contract.

In the quest to continue to enrich illegally himself, family and cronies of NAFDAC’s Finance, Dr. Paul sought for the cooperation of the Director of Finance & Accounts NAFADC of which he refused. This refusal to act as directed according to the willful desire of the DG, NAFDAC, made the DG to transfer him from the office of the Directorate, Finance and Accounts, NAFDAC with the aid of the Director, Admin & Human Resources (Mrs. Oni Yetunde) of whom they are prime beneficiaries of these evil acts to the Commonwealth of our dear nation Nigeria.

Also, the sum of about N4B and above had been withdrawn for the past three (3) consecutive years through media and publicity. Moreover, below named officers Williams Irekpita, Ephraim Anjembe and Ologun Asefou Joseph (staff of Special Duties Directorates) are in a persistent habit of raising recommendation for fictitious advert payment with the mindset that the DG, NAFDAC will always approve it with the aid of their Director. While Joseph Ologun A, the officer in charge of Protocol is always raising application for touring advance on some unscheduled trip that does not exist but always attaching fake air tickets and this act has engulfed over N100m. This is a case of a chained fraud circle.

It is interesting to note that when Dr. Paul Orhii came to NAFDAC in January, 2009 he met as much as over N600m in the NAFDAC bank account when the Agency revenue (IGR) was about N3.5b yearly. Now, the yearly IGR of NAFDAC is about N9b for the past 4years but NAFDAC’s current level of indebtedness is about N5b (excluding commitments not yet brought to the noticed of Finance & Accounts Directorate). This is a case of mismanagement of funds by Dr. Paul Orhii, (sole Administrator of NAFDAC- Mr. Cutting Edge Technology).

We therefore, appeal to you to act fast and use your good office to save the situation and bring back the lost glory of the Agency to the dream of the founding fathers in other for NAFDAC to keep “safe guarding the Health of the Nation”.


Thank you.