Nasarawa lawmaker demands answers over missing 50 ceiling fans, 40 standing fans, mattresses donated to hospital

• Nasarawa lawmaker Sa’ad Ibrahim Abdullahi questioned the whereabouts of donated hospital items.

• He said the items included over 50 ceiling fans, 40 standing fans and 50 orthopaedic mattresses.

• A hospital staff member explained that some mattresses were temporarily given to discharged patients.

Hospital authorities had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of reporting.

A member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Sa’ad Ibrahim Abdullahi, has demanded explanations from the management of Umaisha General Hospital in Toto Local Government Area over the whereabouts of items he said he personally donated to the facility.

Abdullahi, who represents the Umaisha/Ugya constituency and is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), raised the concerns during a visit to the hospital after he said he could not account for some of the items he purchased to improve conditions for patients and healthcare workers.

The lawmaker said the donated items included more than 50 ceiling fans, about 40 standing fans and 50 orthopaedic mattresses, which he claimed were bought with his personal funds for the benefit of residents who rely on the hospital for healthcare services.

A video of the encounter shared online showed the lawmaker questioning hospital officials over the items and demanding that they explain their whereabouts.

“Where are they? Why are you lying to me?” Abdullahi asked while confronting hospital officials.

“I bought over 50 ceiling fans, over 40 standing fans, 50 orthopaedic mattresses” he added.

The lawmaker specifically questioned officials about the orthopaedic mattresses, saying he had earlier been told that the items were kept in the hospital store.

“Doctor, you remember the last time I spoke with you about the orthopaedic mattresses, you remember what you told me. Why are you lying to me?” he said.

He also demanded to see the mattresses he purchased and ceiling fans. During the confrontation, a hospital staff member attempted to explain the situation, saying some mattresses had been given temporarily to discharged patients to use at home and were expected to be returned after two months. The staff member reportedly said about seven mattresses were with patients at the time.

“We normally give them the mattress to go home and return in two months,” 

The explanation, however, did not appear to satisfy the lawmaker, who continued demanding accountability for the remaining items.

Abdullahi said the donations were meant to improve healthcare conditions at the facility and expressed frustration that patients were still experiencing poor conditions despite the items he claimed to have provided.

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“It is my money I used to buy it for my people. Why would they be suffering? Look at the condition of the people here,” he said.

He added that hospital workers who needed mattresses could approach him because he had the capacity to provide more.

“If you the staff want it, I have capacity to buy for them. And because you are helping us in this community, I have the capacity to buy for them,” he said.

At the time of reporting, the management of Umaisha General Hospital and relevant Nasarawa State health authorities had not publicly responded to the allegations. There was also no independent confirmation that the items were stolen or misappropriated.