The suspended chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, Kogi State branch, Dr Baoku Olusola, and three other members of the executive council have been removed from office.

Their removal was contained in a report adopted on Saturday by members of the association during the 2024 NMA Kogi Annual General Meeting held in Lokoja, the state capital

Olusola and the three others were accused of gross misconduct and abuse of office.

Presenting the report, the Chairman, Kogi State NMA Disciplinary Committee, Dr Austin Ojotule said, “The State Disciplinary Committee observed refusal of the suspended chairman, treasurer, director of social welfare and the financial secretary to defend themselves despite ample opportunity given to them. It is a gross abuse of privilege accorded them and acceptance of guilt of all allegations levelled against them.

“The State Disciplinary Committee also observed that the failure of the Chairman, Dr Baoku Olusola, to convene a State Executive Committee meeting in the last six months is a violation of the bylaws. The chairman unilaterally petitioned members of the association, the Chief Medical Director, the MD and the CMAC of Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja, to the law enforcement agency without exhausting the internal mechanism for crisis resolution.

“The chairman unilaterally engaged a lawyer in the name of the association in a petition he wrote against the CMD FTHL to the Minister of Health without approval from SOC/SEC.

“The Abuja NMA NEC’s directive to resolve the crisis in the state was not obeyed by the suspended Chairman, Dr Baoku Olusola. The committee did not have access to the association’s account to determine the suspended chairman and other executives’ dealing with the account because the account has been frozen.”

Ojotule, in the report, recommended the impeachment of the suspended chairman, and the three others with effect from the date they were suspended.

“This is by Article 5 Section 4a (ii) of the NMA Constitution. We are also recommending an audit committee be set up to audit the account by the incoming exco”, he added. (Saturday PUNCH)

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