IMPATIENT staff members at NAFDAC don’t gossip, they only speak in hushed tones, about Dr. Paul Orhii, their Director-General, who, according to them, now lives on borrowed times.
Orhii, himself, appears not so keen on discussing anything related to succession plan at the agency: those who would want the DG leave in a hurry say if the statutory books were followed to the letter, he (Orhii) should have been long gone by now, having ‘served out’ his tenure.
In what appears a response to avalanche of petitions against Orhii’s continued stay in office, the Presidency, early this year, allegedly directed the Health Ministry to investigate the tenure matter.
Some of the “petitioners” had insisted that “the law does not permit him to hang around” like beer palour patrons for anything longer than a few months but the “young man” still calls the shot at NAFDAC.
The Ministry officially wrote the agency to furnish it with “name, State of origin, qualification, date of appointment, age,” of its DG.
But Orhii’s tenure has not really ended. Appointed on January 9, 2009, he should be bowing out in January next year if not reappointed. Yet, “disillusioned politicians” in NAFDAC, who are already in campaign mood, prefer December exit for Orhii.
In a subtle manner, the DG has already started his own campaign for a possible second term and his May 9, 2013 birthday bash in Ikeja provided the needed platform.
A leading drug manufacturer, who organised the event for him, hinted that his group was already lobbying the Presidency for Orhii’s reappointment and threatened to lead another “one million march” to Abuja if Orhii attempts rejecting it.
But there are other issues, which the gladiators will have to grapple with: the PDP machinery and the ‘powers-that-be’ in Aso Rock may have long settled the matter, even before Orhii took over the reins of power.
CC gathers that the juicy position, which was popularised by the indefatigable Prof. Dora Akunyili, is the exclusive preserve of the daughter of Baba.
Except for any last-ditch ‘poli-tricking’ that could throw out the Senator Emeritus when it will matter most — either before or during the all-important Senate Screening — she will surely take the bow at the Senate (as it is often the case with all arrangee appointments). Those troublemakers, who will always find something wrong with Baba and Omo Baba, will have to lick their wounds once again.
In fact, the deal for the NAFDAC job is said to have been struck even before Orhii took the mantle; high-powered intrigues at the time had stopped the farmer’s daughter in her tracks, paving the way for “ Lucky” Orhii.
The gist is that Auntie would have taken over from Dora, but for the last-minute ‘upheaval’ arising from the controversies around father and daughter at the time. Besides, she was said to have been advised, rightly or wrongly, that the statutory minimum requirement for the post of NAFDAC DG is a degree in Pharmacy, Medicine or any other closely related Discipline.
For this reason, Omo Baba has had to go school to shore up her credentials and is currently undergoing a course abroad in community health or something in that description (she may actually be rounding off by now) to meet basic requirement for the job which some have described as her birthright. DG Orhii may just be holding forte for Omo Baba and until she is through with this crucial adult education programme, Nigerians may not hear anything from the Presidency regarding the appointment of a new DG for NAFDAC; It doesn’t really matter if the wait contravenes the law (call it the Act) setting up the Agency; does it?
The inquiry by the Ministry of Health may just be another smokescreen after all.
For the current DG, the victorious hunter has nothing to worry about the antelope, whose scrotal sac is afflicted by bulging hernia.
Enough to say that, until all of these are sorted out one way or the other, there is no vacancy in NAFDAC. So, Congrats DG and congrats (in advance) Auntie.
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