. . . Protests use of front gate in news report

LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has washed its hands off the court cases instituted by a Lagos firm, Star Global Marketing Limited, over the refusal by the Osun State Government to pay for multi-million-naira medical equipment supplied by the company way back in 2013.

LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso in a letter signed by the Head, Public Relations, Ogunleye Omotayo O, protested the use of its front gate to illustrate News Express Television news report on one of the court cases that came up before Honourable Justice J. O. Pedro of Lagos High Court, sitting at Osborne Ikoyi on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.

“The hospital mentioned in the documentary should have been LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo and not just LAUTECH Teaching Hospital because there is also in existence LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso which I represent. You must also know that LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo which your client has problem with has metamorphosed into UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital.

“The third fallacy in your documentary is the fact that you used the front gate of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso erroneously as an illustration in your documentary instead of the front gate LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo (UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo).

“This is important so as to clear the name of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso from the erroneous use if its name and logo as contained in your documentary,” Ogunleye said in the protest letter dated January 21, 2022.

News Express reports that Star Global Marketing Limited has filed two cases at the Lagos High Court against Osun State Government which are;

* Star Global Marketing Limited V Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital Management Board and Others. Suit No LD/ADR/3607/2021 before Honourable Justice Pedro of Lagos High Court, sitting at Osborne Ikoyi

* Star Global Marketing Limited V Osun State Government & Another. Suit No LD/ADR/3651/2021 before Honourable Justice Oyefeso of Lagos High Court, sitting at Ajah which comes up on Monday, January 24, 2022, for mention.

The company is claiming the sum of N148,260,000 (One Hundred and Forty-Eight Million, Two Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira) being the outstanding unpaid sums for the supply of medical supplies/equipment by the Claimant to the Defendant (Osun State Government of Nigeria).

The Claimant’s claim against Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (now known as University of Osun Teaching Hospital) Management Board, and Professor Peter Olaitan (Chief Medical Officer, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital) and Osun State Government of Nigeria whom the Claimant sued jointly and/or severally is the total sum of N69,452,612.50 (Sixty-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Twelve Naira, Fifty Kobo) representing the outstanding unpaid sum for the supply of C-Arm machine and various medical supplies by the Claimant to the Teaching Hospital, a Parastatal of Osun State Government.

In the claims, the Claimant claimed it supplied C-Arm Machine and other medical supplies upon a written contract between it and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (now known as University of Osun Teaching Hospital) Management Board but after the supply of the medical equipment put into use by the hospital, Ladoke Akintola of Technology Teaching Hospital and Osun State Government of Nigeria have refused to pay the Claimant monies due to the Claimant.

“Since fulfilling its part of the bargain, every time the Claimant asked for payment from the State Government and LAUTECH, its Agency, the response had been that the State had no money to pay. These had gone on for years and all attempts by the Claimant to recover its money from the respective Defendants over the years have proved abortive and the Claimant has now finally approached the courts in Lagos, to seek justice,” according to court papers filed by Lagos lawyer Chidi Ike of Chidi Ike and Associates, legal counsel to the complainant.

When the case before Honourable Justice Pedro came up on Wednesday, the Defendants did not show up hence the case was adjourned to March 7, 2022.