Dr. Olusola Adeyelu, a Senior Registrar in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) says criticism of Prof. Christopher Bode’s attempt to extend his tenure as Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the institution, is the real reason behind the suspension of his Residency Training Program at LUTH.
In the letter announcing his suspension, the institution gave the reason for Dr. Adeyelu’s suspension as absence from work for seven days.
“The age limit for being a CMD is 56 but Prof. Bode was 59 in 2015, and he was affected by the statutory retiring age rule.” Dr. Adeyelu said when speaking to SaharaReporters.
He continued, “This I spoke against in one of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) meetings I attended, and the trouble started. Many existing rules were flouted to favor Prof. Bode in his bid to continue as CMD, even when he came second in the CMD election, he was announced the winner before confirmation of his position by the Nigerian Presidency.”
He said Prof. Bode was furious with his negation of his ambition and employed all possible means to ensure he was frustrated and eventually kicked out of LUTH, adding that he was informed that Prof. Bode told some of his close allies on several occasions that he would wreck his career.
Dr. Adeyelu also said that bigwigs at LUTH are at the favor of Prof. Bode and would therefore not support his quest for good administration and management process at LUTH.
The doctor revealed how he was queried for participating in a protest and how an illegal process was employed in making him a scapegoat for an association he is a member of and how his examination was interrupted amidst other ways to ensure he was laid off.
“One of the antics of Prof. Bode and LUTH management in ensuring I was suspended was to use Prof. Olufemi Fasanmade, the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of LUTH to issue me a query for participating in a protest to demand the appropriate salary for doctors. I was amazed when I discover that I was the only person queried for participating in the protest. I responded to the query and fourteen months after; I received a letter of ‘severe warning’ as punishment for my participation in the protest.”
He recalled that when he was to write the final fellowship examination to qualify to become a consultant respiratory physician in November 2016, he was stopped midway by officials of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria on the basis that he forged signatures on one of the documents he had presented to qualify to sit for the examination.
“That was how I could not finish the examinations, and four colleagues of mine, which we submitted the same documents signed by the same person before I was accused of forging signature are now consultants,” he said.
Dr. Adeyelu further stated that he was closely monitored to be punished through any excuse. “I got ill after my exam was unlawfully stopped and reported my ill-health to my department through sick leave. To my dismay, six weeks after resumption to work, I was served a query to explain why I did not submit my sick leave within 48 hours of falling ill. This I replied telling them that I was admitted on Friday, November 18th, 2016 and my healthcare provider notified my department on Monday, 21st of November, 2016 which happened to be the next working day. The management of LUTH capitalized on this and suspended me.”
Dr. Adeyelu slammed his suspension as unlawful and an act of victimization against his work and person, and urged the Nigerian authorities to step in.
“I want the Presidency and the Ministry of Health which we all work under to set up a panel that will investigate my suspension because I know it was fictitious and borne out of personal hatred,” he said.