The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has initiated a probe into the Medical Director of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Benin, Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, over a suspected ₦43 million furniture contract and a recruitment scam. According to a letter from the EFCC’s Benin office, dated October 31, 2025, the investigation is being conducted under Section 38 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act.
EFCC is demanding that Dr. Ugbodaga provide a detailed payroll listing covering permanent, temporary, contract, and casual staff, along with the nominal roles. The commission has also requested full disclosure on all contracts and projects awarded since 2023, including contractor names, contract amounts, payments made, and bank account details.
This investigation was sparked by a petition from hospital workers whose salaries were allegedly suspended. Staff say the management abruptly halted pay for 20 employees, citing no notice or formal explanation, even as they struggled to carry out their duties.
Workers further claim that Ugbodaga treated a public health institution like a private business, sidestepping established Public Service Rules.
In addition to the furniture contract, EFCC is probing a related recruitment scandal. The anti-graft agency noted that although the Federal Ministry of Health only issued directives to recruit in July 2025, the hospital had already begun hiring in December 2024.
The commission is also looking into the MD’s Personal Assistant, Adedeji Bode Segun, who is alleged to be holding two federal government jobs simultaneously.
One anonymous worker painted a stark picture of the hospital’s condition: “workers … sat on bare floor, mats, wrappers and on patients beds, to perform their duties while others made use of inherited furniture.”
This probe has broader economic implications: mismanagement and corruption in public health institutions not only drain scarce resources but also jeopardize service delivery. Funds misused on inflated contracts could have been invested in patient care or infrastructure, undermining the efficient allocation of public health expenditure.
