Former Kogi Commissioner, Saka Haruna Condemns Media Attack

Former commissioner for health, Kogi State, Dr Saka Haruna, has condemned media attacks targeted at painting him in bad light arising from his exit from the office.

Dr Haruna disclosed this in a press statement he personally signed, recently. He said that there have been malicious media attacks directed towards him regarding his suspension from office. According to him, certain unscrupulous individuals, particularly some politicians, have taken advantage of his exit from office to propagate heinous campaigns of calumny against him.

‘‘Recently, I encountered a problem when I decided to pursue part-time master’s programme in Bayero University Kano, Nigeria and later in Maradi, Niger Republic. I obtained the acceptance of my principal before embarking on these educational pursuits. Before each trip, I consistently applied for permission through the office of the Secretary to State Government (SSG).

‘‘However, upon my return from one of the trips, I received a message from the SSG informing me of my indefinite suspension from the office, citing truancy as the reason as attached herewith. I want to emphasize that I never left the office unattended, as we at the Ministry of Health are accustomed to virtual meetings, electronic file management, signatures and approvals. The workflow remained uninterrupted.

‘‘I want to emphasise that throughout my tenure in office, there were multiple internal and external audits conducted, both during and after my time in office. None of these audits raised any concerns or allegations of mismanagement or misappropriation of funds.’’

He also outlined his many achievements in office and thanked the governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, for recognising his efforts and leadership in the health sector.

‘‘In 2021, The Centre for Ethics and Self-Value Orientation (CESVO) scored me and my team as 81 percent compliant. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication that my team and I have put into our roles. I have successfully acquired a Master’s degree in Public Health, a Master’s degree in Health Economics, and a Professional Doctorate in Health Financing,’’ he said.