Health
More Woes for Evans Medical, to Pay N71m in 30 Days
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
It is not the best of times for Evan Medical Plc, a company on the stock exchange battling for survival because of some issues staring at it.
To compound its woes, a Lagos Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court has asked the healthcare firm to pay the sum of N71 million within 30 days.
The amount, precisely N70.977 million, is outstanding salaries, allowances, gratuity and pension contributions of eight former employees of the company for their years of service.
Justice Ikechi Nweneka, who ordered Evans Medical to make the payment, held that the various documentary evidence tendered by the ex-employees were not disputed and the sums claimed were equally not seriously contested and the evidence of their entitlements remains largely unchallenged.
Business Post gathered that from facts, the claimants had submitted that the 2nd-defendant, FBNQuest Trustees appointed the first defendant, Mr Seyi, as receiver/manager and took over the assets, liabilities and undertakings of the firm on October 9, 2017; which assets were subsequently sold to the fourth defendant and promised to pay their outstanding salaries, entitlements and other benefits which promise remains unfulfilled.
The defendants denied any indebtedness to the claimants and stated that assuming without conceding, the firm was indebted to the claimants that such claims are unsecured and cannot be enforced against the firm until the secured lenders realize their indebtedness from the assets of the firm and urged the court to discountenance the submission for not supported by any credible evidence.
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants filed a preliminary objection that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the suit on the grounds that the 3rd defendant was under receivership, that the question relating to who or whether the receiver can pay them is within the rubric of operations of the Companies and Allied Matters Act and does not lie within the powers of the court to adjudicate.
Counsel to the defendants also objected that the 1st and 3rd defendants, Evans Medical Plc are not proper and/or necessary parties before the court, given that there was no employer/employee relationship between the claimants and the 2nd and 4th defendants.
In response, counsel for the claimants, Mr Olaniran Obele, submitted that the argument that the court lacks jurisdiction because the subject matter borders on the operation of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, bankruptcy and insolvency is not only wrong but an attempt to mislead the court.
It was also argued that the mere fact that 3rd defendant was under receivership does not mean it is dead or has lost its legal personality, urging the court to dismiss the preliminary issues.
Delivering judgment, Justice Nweneka affirmed the court jurisdiction and held that the thrust of the suit was not receivership, insolvency or winding up of the 3rd defendant, but strictly for payment of earned salaries and benefits which, owing to the mutation of the 3rd defendant, that the 1st defendant is a receiver/manager does not take the matter out of the competence of the court.
The judge thereafter, struck out the 2nd and 4th defendants as they were improperly joined in the suit.
“The terms of sale of the assets and liabilities of the 3rd defendant to the 4th defendant are not before me to determine if the entitlements of the claimants were transferred to the 4th defendant. There is, therefore, no basis to hold the 4th defendant liable for the debts of the 3rd defendant.
“It is the law that appointment of a receiver/manager does not annihilate the company, the company does not lose its legal personality and title to the goods in receivership and does not terminate the contract of the employees.
“I equally found that the 1st and 5th claimants were still in the employment of the 3rd defendant when the 1st defendant took over the 3rd defendant and their employment did not terminate automatically,” Justice Nweneka ruled.
The court declared that the Evans Medical Plc is liable to pay the claimants their outstanding salaries, allowances, gratuity and all pension contributions for their years of service in the employment of the firm.
The judge then directed Evans Medical Plc to pay 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th claimants the sum of N15,447,346.68; N2,275,182.49; N4,503,915.27; N16,192,746.74; N16,471,043.99; N3,303,283.53; N3,866, 388.53; and N8,916,639.00 respectively with cost of N500,000 within 30 days.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The new one-hour authorisation response time ultimatum policy introduced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has received the full backing of SUNU Health Nigeria Limited.
This policy was introduced by the agency to ensure enrollees get prompt approval codes to access care.
Healthcare service providers have been urged to report any Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) that violates this initiative through an email, with the HMO in copy and a timestamp attached as evidence of the request. They may proceed to offer services to enrollees thereafter.
Speaking at the company’s second-quarter Providers’ Forum for the Lagos-Ogun region in Lagos recently, the chief executive of SUNU Health, Dr Moyosore Olomola, expressed optimism that this policy would improve healthcare delivery in the country, especially for enrollees, who crave quality service.
At the event themed Improving Quality and Access to Care Through Stronger Provider Network, and held at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Yaba, Lagos, Mr Olomola reaffirmed the HMO’s commitment to operating within legal and operational frameworks to guarantee adequate care for enrollees.
“Access to care and quality of care remain key priorities in our healthcare systems. We know quite well that deliberate collaboration, strategic partnerships, and a shared commitment to excellence are required to achieve these priorities.
“A strong provider network is doubtless the backbone of any effective healthcare system. It ensures that our mutual enrollees receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place, and at the right price,” Mr Olomola, represented at the programme by the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dr Faith Nwachi, stated.
He further assured that SUNU Health would strictly adhere to the one-hour authorisation limit, stressing that this aligns seamlessly with one of the organisation’s core values—promptness and its corporate slogan, Humanity is the centre of our initiatives.
In a bid to further improve access and quality of care, SUNU Health also demonstrated its new operational software and Mobile app, aptly named SUNU Legacy.
Also speaking at the event, the NHIA Lagos State Coordinator (Ikeja), Dr Bethuel-Kasimu Abraham, noted that the forum’s expected outcome is to significantly reduce delays in accessing medical care.
Other key expectations include ensuring continuity of care, improving patient outcomes, and strengthening accountability among HMOs.
Addressing specific pain points faced by enrollees, the NHIA Ogun State Coordinator, Mr Dare Adefeso, acknowledged that the agency had received complaints regarding out-of-stock drugs and the discrimination of enrollees by certain providers.
He affirmed that the NHIA is actively addressing these issues, stressing that moving forward, every facility must ensure enrollees are properly catered to regardless of their status, provided they have an active health insurance plan.
Corroborating the long-standing legacy of SUNU Health, the Ogun State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs Aishat Tiamiyu, shared that her agency is responsible for public information dissemination and has been enrolled with SUNU Health for over 25 years.
Commending the HMO’s stellar service over two decades, she called for the immediate enrollment of new NOA staff into the scheme.
The Providers’ Forum remains one of the strategic channels employed by SUNU Health to consistently engage healthcare providers, understand their operational challenges, introduce new software updates, and solidify partnerships aimed at fostering premium healthcare delivery across Nigeria.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the recall of a sexual enhancement product known as WAP Sensual Enhancement Capsules.
In a statement on Monday, the Nigerian agency disclosed that the recall is due to “undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients” in the product, whose country of origin is unknown, but is marketed and distributed online in the US through eBay.
It was emphasised that the recall is being “voluntarily” made by the manufacturer, Best Supplements Best Prices Company.
The detection of the undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients was made by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Laboratory analysis by the US FDA revealed that the product contained undeclared sildenafil, tadalafil, and flibanserin, which were not mentioned on the product label. Such substances may include phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors or related compounds commonly used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, the statement by NAFDAC stated.
Sildenafil and tadalafil are ingredients in FDA-approved prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It was noted that these undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates.
Flibanserin is the active ingredient in an FDA-approved prescription drug used to treat low sexual desire in women. Flibanserin can cause drowsiness, sedation, dangerously low blood pressure, and fainting, especially when combined with alcohol.
Consumers have been encouraged to report compromised products (medicines or medical devices) to the nearest NAFDAC office, call 0800-162-3322, or send an email to sf******@********ov.ng.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Dr Obi Adigwe has been appointed as the pioneer National Coordinator of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO).
The body was created by the Ministry of Health under the approval of President Bola Tinubu.
NHTDAO will be domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, a statement on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, stated.
The agency will serve as a meta-level national platform for coordinating the country’s digital-health agenda. It will reinforce, not replace, the existing statutory functions of relevant departments and agencies, it was emphasised.
The organisation will also harmonise and empower the public and private institutions across the health system, set the standards that connect them, and operationalise the National Digital Health Architecture, approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.
It was stated that President Tinubu expects NHTDAO to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven health system that improves outcomes for all citizens.
Mr Adigwe, as Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, has leveraged science to catalyse interventions in artificial intelligence, translational research, and technology transfer.
He coordinated major projects, including the ¥300m Nanotechnology grant and the AFREXIMBank grant for Africa’s first API Training Facility. He led the roadmap development that underpinned an €18 million EU grant, the largest in Africa for the thematic area. During the last pandemic, Adigwe globally showcased African science by undertaking the world’s first analysis to debunk claims about the Covid Organics preparation.
The Office’s Steering Committee, which provides strategic direction and oversight, comprises:
- Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare (Co-chair)
- Mr Olaniyi Yusuf, Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (Co-chair)
- Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare (Alternate Co-chair)
- Ms Kachollom Daju, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
- Mr Idris Alubankudi Saliu, Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy
- Dr Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, National Coordinator, SWAp Coordination Office
- Dr Abdu Mukhtar, National Coordinator, Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chain
- Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency
- Dr Kelechi Ohiri, Director General, National Health Insurance Authority
- Director, Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
- National Information Technology Development Agency Representative
- Six representatives of the State Commissioners of Health, one from each of the six geopolitical zones
- Pharm Hamza Buhari, Stakeholder representing Industry and Community.
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