ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A Rights group under the auspices of Civil Rights Realization and Advancement Network (CRRAN), has threatened to sue the Enugu State government for abandoning a multi billion naira Diagnostic Center, built by former Governor, Sullivan Chime.
The Rights group regretted that the complex which was earlier abandoned at the foundation level, but was later completed by the then Governor, Chime, has overgrown weeds in it.
Describing the development as an eyesore, CRRAN said that the center, if equipped, would have solved various health needs of the citizens of Enugu State in particular and South-East Nigeria as a whole.
President of the the group, Olu Omotayo, made the claims in a letter to the Enugu State government, Thursday, and obtained by voiceofnaija.ng.
Omotayo alleged that the supposed fund mapped out for the rehabilitation of the complex was diverted for personal use by some individuals.
He therefore, gave the state government till the end of October 2022, to the fix the building, or be forced to embark on another round of legal action against the them.
The letter reads: “It is on record that it was through court action against the regime of former Governor Sullivan Chime, in the Suit: Civil Liberties Organisation V. Commissioner for Health Enugu State, Suit No. FHC//EN/M/263/2011, where the first decision on Freedom of Information Act (FOI), in South-East Nigeria, was delivered in 2013, that forced the government of Sullivan Chime, to complete the construction of the Diagnostics Center, which it had earlier abandoned at the foundation level.
Armed with the information that the predecessor (Former Governor Sullivan Chime) of the present state governor had awarded the contract for the supplying of the equipments for the Diagnostics center and in fact some of the equipment actually arrived the state but kept in an unknown location, CRRAN filed a suit against the Enugu State Government over its’ refusal to equip the Diagnostics Center, Old Trade Fair Complex, Enugu.
“The suit: Registered Trustees of Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN) V. Enugu State Government, Suit No: FHC/EN/ CS/47/2020, was filed at the Federal High Court Enugu.
“The Organisation in the facts in support of the suit stated that the Contract for purchase of medical equipment for the commencement of operations of Diagnostics Center, Old Trade Fair Complex, Enugu has been awarded and public funds made available for that purpose but the funds diverted for personal use hence the reason for non completion and the subsequent abandon of the project till date.
“But the State government hides under guise that it was using the center as an isolation center at the outbreak of Covid 19, pandemic and that after the pandemic the center will be equipped to take care of medical needs of the people of Southeast Nigeria. The pandemic is no more; no human activity in the complex and it has been overgrown with weeds.
“This letter also serves as Pre action notice to the state government that if the center is not made functional for the purpose for which it was built, before the end of October 2022, we shall commence another round of legal action against the government because we firmly belief that the Project if completed will solve various health needs of the citizens of Enugu State in particular and Southeast Nigeria as a whole.
“The government has clearly shown since our correspondences with it in 2020, that it is not ready to equip the Diagnostics Center with necessary medical equipments so that the center can commence operations to start serving the citizens.
“We submit that the hallmark of democracy is that government must be accountable to the citizens and also know that it is its ‘duty to provide necessary medical facilities needed for the wellbeing of the citizenry.”