Kogi NMA chairman suspended over alleged administrative, financial infringements

The Kogi State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has suspended its chairman, Dr Olusola Baoku, for constitutional, administrative and financial infringements.

At an emergency congress held in Lokoja on Saturday, a former chairman of NMA, Dr David Ayemila, told journalists that a committee has been constituted to hold sway until August 11, 2024, when an election that will produce new state executives to run its affairs will be conducted.

DAILY POST learnt that the congress resolved to ensure there was no vacuum by empowering the Committee of Past Chairmen, chaired by Dr Ayemila and Dr Zubair Kabiru as secretary, to take over the running of the association until a new election is conducted and new officers emerge.

Ayemila attributed the crisis that affected the association to the way and manner in which the chairman of the dissolved executive handled the association’s affairs.

“Our committee was inaugurated today, July 13, 2024, to watch the activities of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) until the 11th of August, that is, next month, when a new leadership of the association will be elected,” Ayemila noted.

Ayemila stated that the decision to dissolve the former state executives was a result of their failure to manage the association well and prevent avoidable challenges to which the association was subjected, adding that the only way out is to constitute the new interim management committee to be handled by the past chairmen of the association.

He blamed the inability of the disbanded state officers to organise meetings, hence the far-reaching decision to have a new organ that would steer the affairs of the association.

Ayemila implored the members, who are seasoned professional doctors, to support and cooperate with them to discharge their current assignment with all the vigour it required.

He said: “The Congress also empowered the past chairmen by transmitting all the powers of the State Officers Committee (SOC) to the Committee of Past Chairmen.

“The committee is to ensure that the medical and surgical outreach proposed for Okene holds, including a successful election and Annual General Meeting.”

DAILY POST recalls that under the former Kogi State NMA chairman, Dr Olusola Baoku, seven members of the 2022-2023 executives tendered their resignation letters following the crisis rocking the association.