Fashola and Ambode may be asked to testify over N7bn Gbagada cardio-renal centre

FORMER governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode are facing the prospect of being called to testify before a probe panel instituted by the Lagos State House of Assembly over a sum of N7bn ($19.25m) spent at the Gbagada General Hospital.

Yesterday, the Lagos State House of Assembly decided to probe why equipment at the N7bn cardio-renal centre at the Gbagada General Hospital was abandoned. In March 2015, the centre was commissioned by Babatunde Fashola but allegedly abandoned by the immediate past governor Ambode.

Acting chairman of the House Committee on Health, Hon Akeem Sokunle and members had embarked on a recent tour to ascertain health facilities across the state. They discovered that the Gbagada facility was not functioning and there was no evidence of the equipment for which large sums was budgeted.

Hon Sokunle said: “We observed that there is a shortage of manpower, non-functioning ambulances, insecurity, unequipped laboratories and more importantly, an abandonment of multi-billion naira cardio-renal facility. I got a report that the cardio-renal machines only worked for two weeks before the facility was locked up and most of the sensitive equipment is obsolete."

Majority leader Sanai Agunbiade , said if equipment of such magnitude was located in the state, it was for a purpose. He, therefore, moved that the suppliers of the equipment be invited for questioning and that the investigation must attract public participation, so consequently, the House resolved to invite the health ministry to appear before the probe committee to clarify matters.

Speaker Hon Mudashiru Obasa, directed the clerk of the House, Azeez Sanni, to write a letter to the Lagos State Ministry of Health and invite necessary stakeholders on the issue. There are now fears that it satisfactory answers are not given, the two former governors may be invited to testify too.