Members of the Delta State Hospital Management Board Multipurpose Cooperative Society II have appealed to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the state Attorney General to intervene in a dispute over more than N70m in cooperative funds they say remain inaccessible.
The affected members, including serving workers and retirees, alleged that years of contributions had become inaccessible amid disagreements over the cooperative’s leadership and questions about the management of its finances.
The cooperative’s president, Emelereta Emmanuel, said the unresolved dispute had prevented members from holding their annual general meeting and created tension between the leadership and contributors demanding their money.
He appealed to the state government to facilitate the recovery of the funds and the cooperative’s landed properties.
“Our prayers are that the governor and the Attorney General should use their good offices to help release our withheld money, which is over N70m, and help us recover our money and landed properties,” Emmanuel said.
A couple, Herrieta and Julius Otobene, who retired from service in 2025, said they had more than N2m invested in the cooperative and were struggling to access their savings.
Julius, speaking on behalf of his wife and himself, said the situation had disrupted their retirement plans despite years of service and financial contributions.
“We were supposed to retire in peace after paying our dues as civil servants, but now we are embroiled in this scandal. All we want is our money,” he said.
A lawyer representing some members, Benjamin Amede, alleged that the cooperative’s immediate past executive committee had failed to account for contributions received during its tenure.
He said members had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the matter, which had also resulted in multiple court cases.
According to Amede, the state Ministry of Justice convened a meeting on June 1 to explore an alternative dispute resolution process. The parties were reportedly asked to withdraw their court cases, provide account statements and conduct an annual general meeting by September, with the expectation that members’ funds would subsequently be released.
Amede said his clients withdrew their case on June 18 but had yet to regain access to their savings.
“Our case was withdrawn on June 18, but up till now, they are still holding on to our money. We could not conduct the AGM because there is no money,” he said.
He added that members wrote to the Attorney General on October 9, explaining that the lack of funds had prevented them from organising the meeting.
Another member, Omogha Faith, said disagreements over the cooperative’s leadership and the release of relevant documents had further delayed efforts to resolve the matter.
She explained that members had complied with the conditions outlined during the mediation meeting but remained unable to access their savings.
“Since April, we have done everything they asked us to do,” Faith said.
She also said members could not collectively withdraw the EFCC petition because individual contributors had initiated it and the investigation was still ongoing.
Expressing concern over the prolonged dispute, Faith urged Governor Oborevwori to direct the relevant authorities to facilitate the recovery of the funds, adding that some members had faced threats amid the controversy.
“As I am talking to you, I am no longer safe because of this money,” she said.
The cooperative’s secretary, Israel Watite, an accountant at a hospital in Sapele, said members had contributed for years with the expectation that their savings and dividends would provide financial security after retirement.
He alleged that successive leaders had failed to account for the cooperative’s finances, leaving several contributors unable to retrieve their money.
“Some may have saved N1m or N2m, only to discover that not even a dime is available,” Watite said.
Watite estimated that the cooperative’s accumulated savings could be at least N800m and possibly exceed N1bn over more than two decades, although members had yet to recover their contributions.
He described the situation as particularly distressing for retirees who had depended on the scheme as a source of financial support after leaving public service.
“It is painful and deeply regrettable to have invested your money in an arrangement with so much hope, only for all that hope to be dashed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Director of Cooperatives in the state Ministry of Trade and Investment, Joseph Okotie, declined to comment when contacted on Sunday, saying he was in church and requesting that he be contacted later.
However, subsequent calls and text messages, including a WhatsApp message, had not received a response as of the time the report was filed.
The dispute remains unresolved, with members continuing to call on the state government to help recover their savings and clarify the management of the cooperative’s funds.
