…Vow to achieve multidimensional regional health objectives
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Health Organization (WAHO), have reiterated their unwavering commitment to the achievement of the multidimensional regional health objectives.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Jean-Claude Kassi BROU and the Director-General of WAHO, Professor Stanley Okolo, made the pledge in a joint communique they issued in Abuja this week.
The joint communique came in the wake of what the duo described as “malicious information” that had been “circulating on social networks in connection with the management of the West African Health Organization by its Director General, Professor Stanley Okolo.”
An international non-governmental organization (NGO), was reported to have sent a petition to the ECOWAS Commission President, calling on him to set up a panel to investigate charges of Maladministration and Abuse of Office levelled against the WAHO Director-General.
The petitioners, according to a news report, had claimed the said letter that they were compelled to send their complaint the ECOWAS President as a result of their growing concerns about the way and manner in which Professor Okolo, a Nigerian, “has been running the affairs of this great Institution since 2018 when he assumed office.”
An online news portal in Burkina Faso, Net Afrique, broke the news in a report it published on February 13 under the headline: “Organisation Ouest Africaine de la Santé: Le DG accusé de népotisme, de mauvaise conduite, de favoritisme et de recrutement arbitraire.”
According to the online news portal, the letter, with the titled which means in English: “PETITION AGAINST PROF STANLEY OKOLO, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WEST AFRICAN HEALTH ORGANISATION (WAHO) FOR MALADMINISTRATION AND ABUSE OF OFFICE,” was also copied to the Auditor-General of ECOWAS, Alfred Braimah.
While efforts to obtain a copy of the said petition from the ECOWAS Commission Secretariat in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, were unsuccessful, the report in Net Afrique indicated that the petitioners had listed “acts of nepotism, misconduct and favoritism, arbitrary recruitment, private gain, and impediment to efficiency by the Director-General,” which they said “constitute clear Maladministration and abuse of office.”
One of the accusations against Professor Okolo, according to the news report, was ‘Anglophonization’ and ‘Nigerianization’ of WAHO through arbitrary recruitment,” with the petitioners alleging that the WAHO DG hijacked the recruitment process, which has been favoring anglophone countries – mainly Nigerians, without recourse to established due process nor on the basis of merit.
They also accused the DG of “playing of nepotism card, Misuse of public funds, Poor performance of health programme activities” and scrapping of “Staff Training Programme.”
Other allegations included “improper handling of COVID-19 Funds, engagement of the Director-General’s Sister-in-Law as Executive Assistant” and “Illegal signing of contracts without following due process.”
But Kassi BROU and Prof Okolo, in the joint communique, said the information was published as part of “a campaign of character assassination and intimidation of the Director General of WAHO on the basis of false allegations for unavowed purposes.”
According to the joint communique, the ECOWAS Commission and WAHO would not allow such an initiative to flourish because “it damages the image of the institution and reputation of WAHO officials who work tirelessly to serve the community in the fight against many health challenges.”
“In accordance with the existing internal procedures of the institution, actions will be taken to shed light on these allegations,” it said.
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