*Bayelsa Diagnostics Center: Concessionaire Exonerates former Governor*
- Says all equipment were fully paid for and intact

We have since read, with dismay, the politically motivated attack and the false information being circulated in the media concerning the Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre (BDC).

As Concessionaires who have run this center since its inception in 2016 till date, without joining the political fray, we wish to state the true position to Bayelsans and the general public.

The Bayelsa State government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, built and fully paid for all the equipment in the Bayelsa Diagnostics Centre which are modern and state of the art diagnostics and imaging equipment that are still way ahead of its time. The government verified the supplies and the state of all the equipment procured before we were concessioned to oversee its management in August 2016.

From 2016, the center quickly became the main diagnostics centre for Bayelsans and others across the country and it recorded many success stories; one of which was when the Center welcomed Former President Olusegun Obasanjo for two consecutive years, amongst other very important Nigerians, for their routine medical check-ups which is testament to the quality of service delivery at the Bayelsa Diagnostics Center.

Our duty was to maintain the equipment, provide international skilled personnel to run the facility and to also manage it which we did. In general, the terms or standard of the concession was that sixty percent (60%) of the profit, once the center became profitable, would be for us the concessionaires, to enable us handle the day to day running cost, salaries as well as the allowances of the personnel, training etc. Thirty percent (30%) would go to the Bayelsa State government and ten percent (10%) in a joint account for routine maintenance and repairs.

We employed and trained staff, most of whom are Bayelsans and Ijaws, locally and abroad.

The Center became a place of medical tourism and during this period, we received no subvention or support funds from the Government of Bayelsa State. This took a heavy toll on us as the center in the first few years could not become profitable and as such the profit sharing term could not apply.

We ran the center from August 2016 to May 5th 2020 at our own cost, as the revenues could not sustain the running cost of the facility, especially the high cost of maintaining power non-stop, as the sensitive equipment require 24-hour constant electricity.

Providing constant power, training of skilled personnel and maintaining the facility since 2016 had taken a huge toll on our personal finances and we made a request to the former governor for support, in the form of the running cost, until the center became profitable, a development not anticipated in the original concession agreement.

The original concession agreement assumed that the center would be profitable on start of operation; however we did not take into consideration that, like every other business, the centre needed time to stabilize and become profitable. Realizing this, we made a case to the former governor who encouraged us to continue, and that the expenses we would incur would be reimbursed. The former governor directed a team led by the former SSG and Attorney General of the state to review the concession agreement and accommodate the unforeseen development.

The former governor had insisted that provision of health services is primarily a social service before it is a business and therefore directed that the agreement be reworked to accommodate the new development and that government will reimburse the running cost and expenses. The team was also directed to verify our claims of expenses and recommend the amount due to us as outstanding.
Based on the above assurances and the steps initiated by the state government, we continued to run the place, even with the new government.

This was the situation before the gubernatorial elections that brought in the present administration.

However, about the 5th of May, with covid-19 pandemic going out of control and government and companies grappling with the Covid-economy, we had course to downscale our operations in other to prevent mass infection and the resultant reputational damage.

By the 5th of May, it was clear the Center could no longer remain open because it had become the first port of call for Bayelsans as it concerned diagnosis and the Concessionaire, not having full grip of the Covid-19 pandemic, as no one all over the world had as that time; had no other option but to close its doors in order to avoid mass casualty.

The Center went into alternate day operations from April 2020, due to huge operational costs, including but not limited to provision of alternate power supply, in this case diesel to power multiple generator sets.

After the change of government in February 2020, His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, visited the center and wanted to find out why the center was closed.

His Excellency subsequently paid a second visit in the company of the honourable commissioner for health with his team, VC of the Bayelsa Medical University as well as the press, where they inspected and saw all the equipment and appurtenances in good condition, to dispel the propaganda being peddled by some officials that the facility had been vandalized and equipment had been stolen. The governor, upon sighting all the equipment was impressed with the state and quality of the equipment and called a meeting to resolve the issues about the running cost of the center.
His Excellency, Gov. Douye Diri stated his intentions to get the Center reopened and called for a steering committee with a mandate to reopen The Center whilst audits are being carried out under the chairmanship of Hon. Peter Akpe, Deputy Chief of Staff to Bayelsa State Governor with the commissioner for health.

His Excellency, Gov. Douye Diri later appointed His Excellency, The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo as chairman of the steering committee to continue the process. He has since held several meetings with the steering committee, comprising of the Concessionaire and the Bayelsa State Government Representatives where a proposal has been agreed upon by all parties and the said proposal is currently awaiting the governor’s approval.

We as concessionaires demanded that in order for the Center to be reopened, it was important that a full Joint Stocktaking be carried out by the committee which included representatives of the Bayelsa State Government and the Concessionaire in order to ascertain the status of the equipment at the center which has since been done.

Understanding quality service delivery, we maintained high security levels even after the closure of the center till date, with security guards supported by the Nigerian police who have continued to secure the facility and its equipment till date.

We wish to state for emphasis, that
1. All equipment purchased by the state government are safe and intact.
2. That all the equipment purchased were fully paid for even before the commissioning and commencement of operations and are still top class equipment several years after their purchase. In fact most of the equipment purchased were the first of its kind in Nigeria at the time.
3. We understand the public interest that the center be reopened in bayelsa and across the country as a reputable diagnostic center with partners abroad. We state that as soon as the outstanding issues are sorted out, we hope to resume operations.

Lastly, we call on general public to ignore the falsehood being peddled by mischievous and faceless characters about the diagnostic center.

Signed: Malcom Okiebai
Operations Manager
TRIGEN-CRATON LTD
Concessionaires