Balogun Tajudeen, the acting director of administration at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ile-Ife, Osun state, has been suspended by the Federal Government.

In a statement on Sunday, Nov. 19, Patricia Deworitshe, director of information at the ministry of health and social welfare, said Tajudeen was suspended over his involvement in a job racketeering saga in the institution.

According to Deworitshe, Owojuyigbe Olumuyiwa, OAUTH’s former acting chief medical director, was also involved in the scandal.

She added that Olumuyiwa has absconded from his duty post since July.

Deworitshe said the ministry got involved following the unrest witnessed in the institution as a result of the recruitment saga.

She said under Olumuyiwa’s leadership, the hospital “employed over 1,973 staff” for a recruitment waiver slot of 450 vacancies.

“The unrest is attributed to the alleged job racketeering/over employment saga in the establishment, under the former CMD, Dr Olumuyiwa,” NAN quoted Deworitshe as saying.

“This was against the 450 vacancies waiver granted in the 2022 employment by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), which is a flagrant abuse of extant rules and regulations.

“The hospital conducted the exercise in two phases (230 and 220) after securing approval of the Federal Character Commission(FCC) not to advertise the posts.

“During the first phase, the hospital recruited 600 staff instead of 230, and a total of 1,823 staff members were recruited in the second phase instead of 220.”

Deworitshe said the hospital recruited 2,423 staff instead of the approved 450 at the end of the exercise.

She noted that 1,973 new workers were recruited more than the approved waiver.

“In August, an investigative panel was set up, led by Dr Aderemi Azeez of the Hospital Service Department of the ministry,” Deworitshe said.

“The report of the panel states that Olumuyiwa was embroiled in over-employment/ job racketeering in the establishment, without provision in the personnel budget for over 1,973 workers illegally employed.

“The report further noted that the 450 workers waiver granted to OAUTH was for the recruitment of clinical staff, but only 55 clinical staff were employed, while others were non-clinical staff.”

Deworitshe added that the outcome of the recruitment also revealed that OAUTH has a staff strength of 7,279, out of which 3,034 are clinical personnel and 4,245 are non-clinical officers.

She said this translates to a non-clinical staff ratio of approximately 1:1 instead of the recommended 3:1.

She also said that the outcome of the panel revealed that many recruited staff were without the requisite academic and professional certificates as well as evidence of participating in the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).