BusinessDay 14 Dec 2017

Thursday 14 December 2017
BUSINESS DAY
33
CITYFile
25 prison inmates
regain freedom in
Benin
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, Benin
L-R: Ogunekun Abiola, chief
matron, Agbala Pediatric
Centre, Ikorodu; Charle
Kie, MD, Ecobank Nigeria
Limited; Margret Akinmuleya,
Apex Nurse; Adenike Laoye,
company secretary, Ecobank
Nigeria Limited, and Osisanya
Abiola, chief matron, at
the commissioning of Agbala
Pediatric Centre building,
renovated and furnished by
Ecobank Nigeria Limited in
Lagos.
Christmas sales: NAFDAC
raids shops in Port Harcourt
IGNATIUS CHUKWU, Port Harcourt
The National Agency for Food and
Drug Administration and Control
(NAFDAC) has raided several shops
belonging to unregistered dealers in
herbal products and master bakers,
in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The operation, Tuesday, covered Mile
1 and 3 markets, Ikwere road, Orazi road
and Mile 4 market, all within Port Harcourt
metropolis. At the Mile 1 market, officials
of the agency were, however, attacked by
some hoodlums, leading to the arrest of one
suspect by security operatives working with
the enforcement team.
Mercy Ndukwe, River State coordinator
of NAFDAC said that the raids were in a bid
to sanitise the sale of herbal medicines by
ensuring that only registered and authorised
Mother, baby detained in over N40,000 unpaid hospital bill
YOMI AYELESO, Akure
Taiwo Omotoso and her new-born
baby are currently being detained
at the Mother and Child Hospital in
Akure, Ondo State capital, over an
unpaid medical bill of N40,000.
The woman was delivered of the baby
through a cesarean session (CS) on November
16, 2017.
The father of the baby, Oladapo Omotoso,
said that his wife had been detained in the
hospital for 20 days because of his inability
to offset the medical bill given to him.
Omotoso, a 33-year-old commercial
motorcyclist, said her new-born baby and
wife had been made to sleep on a chair in the
hospital since November 16, 2017.
Narrating his ordeal, he said: “On November
16, I rushed my wife to the hospital.
On getting there, they asked me to make
payment before they could proceed on any
operation.
“I told them I didn’t have much on me.
They gave me an emergency form to fill so
that they would be able to take care of her
to save the life of the mother and the baby.
“They did the operation successfully. The
following day, November 17, I was called to
buy some drugs. I told them I could not get
herbal drugs were in the market.
The agency said the raids had led to
closure of some outlets and seizure of sales
vehicles along with large quantities of unregistered
herbal medicines in Port Harcourt.
Ndukwe, said that some unregistered
bread producers and those producing with
expired licenses and labelling were also arrested.
She said three of their vehicles were
impounded while distributing bread within
the state capital.
Ndukwe decried the manner some
herbal shops in Port Harcourt stored drugs
without NAFDAC registration number.
She warned that the agency would confiscate
any packaged unregistered herbal
drug and sanction the dealer. She advised
the public against patronising unregistered
herbal preparations and those with spurious
claims that were not verifiable to avoid
money to buy those drugs.
“They said I should take the emergency
form which I had already filled the day I came
to the hospital to the pharmacy so that I could
use the form to buy those necessary drugs for
my wife. They discharged her four days after.
“On November 21, they asked her to sit on
a chair because they had already discharged
her so as to create enough space for other
people to come in.
“I said I will go and look for money. I went
out but I could not get any money. I came
back to the hospital and I started begging.
“I went to the CMD who said if he had to
waive everything, he could not waive the CS
pack. He said the CS pack did not belong to
the hospital but some companies that supplied
it to the hospital.
“He said he will waive the hospital bill which
was within his capacity, the bed fees and the
items which they used for normal delivery. The
total money waived for me is N15,000.
He further said: “However, they said I
will need blood clearance. On November
28, I could not raise the money. I went to
the ministry of Women Affairs for financial
assistance, but they declined to help me.
“I went back to the hospital. The welfare
officer told me to pay for the CS pack and
the blood clearance. Five days ago, I paid in
endangering their health.
The state coordinator also frowned at the
negative attitude of the public towards NAF-
DAC officials, referring to a situation where
NAFDAC officials were almost mobbed by
hoodlums at the Mile 3 market during the
operation.
More than15 cartons of different unregistered
herbal preparations were confiscated
during the raid while one person was arrested.
The state coordinator said that owners
of stores where unregistered herbal drugs
were found would be sanctioned in line with
NAFDAC regulations.
She said: “The agency has slashed registration
cost to almost halve for Small and
Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) while
product registration is now easier and faster
in line with the federal government ease of
doing business mantra”.
N15,000 out of the money for the CS pack. I
later paid the balance of N5,000 bringing the
sum paid to N20,000.
“After the payment, I went to the welfare
officer who said he had helped me enough
that I should go to the laboratory for blood
clearance. It was after I donated blood that
the people in the laboratory said I owed
them. I said how much? They said N6,500.
“The total amount they expect me to pay
is N40, 000. I have paid N20,000. I paid the
money 15 days after delivery. They are now
expecting me to pay the laboratory fee which
is N6,500 before my wife can be released.”
Adesina Akintan, the Chief Medical
Director (CMD) of the hospital, , who confirmed
the incident said the hospital decided
to carry out the CS almost immediately the
woman was brought in when they realised
her husband was having challenges.
Akintan said the hospital had to detain
the mother and her daughter because of the
inability of the family to pay for the operation
after waiving some fees.
The CMD, who explained that the hospital
could no longer afford to provide free
services, disclosed that the hospital owes its
contractors over N26 million for the supply of
drugs and other items required for operation
in the hospital.
Vero Igbe, wife of Sam Igbe, the Iyase
of Benin Kingdom has secured
the release of 20 inmates from
Benin and Oko prison. The inmates were
released as part of activities to mark her
birthday.
The inmates were sentenced to various
jail terms between one year and four
years with an option of fine ranging from
N50,000 to N200,000.
They were sentenced on offences bordering
on assault, manslaughter, theft
among others.
Among those who benefited from
the gesture were Ngozi Owoh, a nursing
mother, Amos Omogiade, a businessman
(32), Paul Iyobo, commercial bus
driver (35).
In an interview with newsmen, Ngozi
Owoh who gave birth to a baby boy in the
prison said she was sentenced because
she fought with another woman.
She said the person she fought with felt
unconscious and as such she was taken
to court and sentenced with an option of
fine. She said she was convicted in April
this year, and had her baby in the prison,
last month.
The nursing mother, however, appreciated
the celebrator for her philanthropy
and called on other well meaning Nigerians
to emulate her kind gesture.
On his part, Paul Iyobo, 35 and father of
three said he was convicted for assaulting
a policewoman adding that his wife was
pregnant at the time.
Amos Omogaide who was sentenced
to four-year jail term with an option of
N200,000 fine said he was found guilty of
manslaughter.
The beneficiaries commended the wife
of the Iyase of Benin for her intervention.
Earlier, Vero Igbe said the gesture was
part of activities lined up for the celebration
of her birthday.
According to her, I don’t like celebrating
birthday. On my birthday, I usually go
to the orphanage homes, beggars and the
needy to feed them. But this year birthday
I have decided that I must visit prison to
see those I can free instead of organising
a big party.
Igbe who said she was fulfilled with
the gesture, however, appealed to well
meaning Nigerians to always reach out to
the needy especially those languishing in
the prison for one or two minor offences.
In his remark, the Comptroller of Prison,
Edo command, Amadin Osayande,
commended the philanthropist for the
unprecedented feat.
“What she has done is unprecedented.
No one has done it in the history of Benin
and Oko prison. Concern and love she has
for these inmates is unquantifiable, especially,
the young lady that was brought
here in April, 2017.
“She gave birth to a baby boy almost
a month ago. She has paid her fine, and
now she can go home and take care of the
child because she doesn’t want the child
to grow up in the prison. That is another
wonderful thing she has done”, he said.