Adamawa hospital fire: Saboteurs can’t match my progress, says Fintiri

• Gov Fintiri (black caftan and cap) with the MD, Dr. Wadinga (white caftan) at the burnt hospital store

The Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has said that he is not deterred by the activities of saboteurs who are working day and night to scuttle his efforts at improving the lives of Adamawa residents.

The governor, who spoke on Wednesday at the site of the burnt central store of the specialist hospital in Yola, the state capital, insisted that his speed of progress is far ahead and as such can not be matched by the saboteurs who can’t catch up with him.

A visibly angry Fintiri fumed that there was no level of local intimidation that could hinder his government from continuing with his people-oriented projects in the state.

The governor, who visited the site of the incident after arriving at the Yola International Airport from Abuja, noted that he was encouraged to do more whenever he discovered that little-minded people were fighting for the progress of the state.

He stated, “This hospital belongs to Adamawa people, not Fintiri and his family. I will leave office tomorrow. The hospital will remain there as the property of the state.”

“How can fire burn a building that is not connected to electricity?”

He added, “This is the work of local saboteurs, and I’m moving at a pace that they can not see my back, as far as the development of Adamawa State is concerned.”Arewa PUNCH reports that for the second time, a midnight fire razed the central store of the Adamawa Specialist Hospital.

When Arewa PUNCH visited the hospital in the early hours of Tuesday, the Medical Director, Dr. Dauda Wadinga, who was on the ground with other top management staff to assess the level of damage, told our correspondent that the fire started Monday midnight.

Wadinga had informed our correspondent that the Deputy Governor, Professor Keletapwa Farauta, had visited the hospital when the inferno was ravaging.

Meanwhile, he disclosed that “The prime suspect has been arrested by the police. We had a serious quarrel with him on Monday evening and I had to invite the police for his arrest. He was arrested and later released, then the fire incident happened, so police re-arrested him for interrogation,” he informed Arewa PUNCH.

Wadinga declared to the journalists that the management of the hospital had voted N1 million as a bounty for anyone who can provide information that will lead to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for the burning of the central store of the hospital.

He pointed out that his fight against corruption in the hospital is fighting back. Nonetheless, Wadinga maintained that he is battle-ready to face those who are bent on perpetuating their illicit activities in the hospital.

The MD alleged that “Some medical officials will go to a corner and collect blood from patients without any tests and sell it to other patients at a huge amount. I can’t allow that to continue under my administration,” he said.

“Some staff even produce their folders, and they would be selling to patients that come to buy cards. They sell their cards to patients without issuing them with receipts. How can I allow such criminal activities to continue?” he asked.

Wadinga further disclosed that the hospital lost a huge amount of money from the fire incident, considering the nature of the equipment kept in the store.

“I want to make it very clear that whoever thinks corruption must continue in this hospital should start thinking of where he or she will go, because there is no room under my watch,” he reiterated.

Arewa PUNCH had earlier reported that for the second time, a midnight fire razed the Central Store of the Adamawa Specialist Hospital located in Yola, the state capital.

The fire razed the same central store as the hospital last year.