Dr Bamachy Onyemachi, Director of Medical Services at the Abia Health Management Board (HMB) Umuahia, has petitioned Governor Alex Otti over his withheld 20 Months salaries.
Narrating his pains in tears, Onyemachi said that he is currently at the point of eviction from his home, as his landlord has threatened to evict him for owing him many months.
Onyemachi said he could no longer stop the media from reporting the matter because he had done everything he could do since 2024 but to no avail, added that a bank had taken ownership of a house he used a loan from them to acquire.
In his words, “My ordeal began after the current Chief Executive Officer of Abia HMB, Dr Odochi Azubuike decided to take away some equipment of the Federal Government built Multipurpose Hospital at Ugwunagbo on the evening of its inauguration on July 3, 2024.
“I counseled her against the idea but she insisted so I involved the traditional ruler of the community who appeared himself with two men and one lady to stop her.
“The people asked her what she was doing with the equipment she had heaped inside the hospital hall awaiting the vehicle to move them and she said that she wanted to keep them safe because the hospital was not secured.”
Onyemachi said that the royal father and his men told Azubuike that she should not go away with any equipment because the community can secure their property.
He said after the incident on the evening of July 3, 2024, on Aug 28, 2024, Azubuike wrote the Head of Service (HOS) requesting the stoppage of salaries of 21 medical staff including Onyemachi.
Onyemachi said that sequel to Azubuike’s letter, the HOS on Dec. 24, 2024 wrote Abia’s Commissioner of Finance to stop his salary and those of 20 other staff of the board.
He said that Azubuike in her letter alleged that Onyemachi and others were guilty of refusal to accept posting, poor attendance to work, abscondment from work, refusal to retire after 8 years directorship, and refusal to appear before a verification committee.
Onyemachi said the Abia Head of Service (HOS) after investigating the matter wrote to Azubuike in a letter dated May 20, 2025, with reference number HSA/EST/RR/ 4.T. 11 / 229 which was titled “Clarification on Statutory Retirement of Directors at HMB Abia State.”
From findings , the letter from HOS cleared Onyemachi of the allegation of refusal to retire after eight years of directorship and urged that he should serve out the remaining four of his years as a director.
Azubuike responded to the HOS letter with her own dated July 25, 2025, with reference number HMB/AD/91/23, in which she acknowledged the reinstatement of Onyemachi by HOS.
She further requested that his stopped salaries for six months be paid “to enable him do his work efficiently and diligently.”
He said that after 10 months of unpaid salaries, he reported the matter to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health who took it again to the HOS through a letter dated April 28, 2026 referenced AB/MH/PSH/GC/HOS/26/040.
According to him, on May 11, 2026, an approval for his salary reinstatement and inclusion in the payroll and payment of 16 months arrears was conveyed to the state Accountant General (AG), Dr Njum Onyemenam.
He said that with all the letters and decisions, the HOS letter was not honoured as his salaries were not paid by July 9, 2026 when HMB salaries were paid.
He said he then contacted the AG and Azubuike but they only told him stories.
He said that although the HOS attached documents approving his salary reinstatement in his letter to AG, she still insisted that Onyemachi must give her another set of documents proving his salary reinstatement which he produced.
Onyemachi said that he had been working all these months and despite everything he had done, his salary has yet to be paid for 20 months since December 2024.
He said that Azubuike had reinstated all the other 20 persons who she earlier wrote to stop their salary alongside his and allowed them to be paid leaving only him out because he contested her unmerited punishment to him.
Onyemachi, the Director, Medical Services, in Abia Health Management Board (HM) has served Abia for over 25 years without any allegations except this raised by Azubuike.
Further findings shows that Azubuike who is a staff of the Federal Medical Center, Owerri, was made the CEO of HMB as a political appointee in March 2024.
Onyemachi said that although he wrote Governor Alex Otti on Aug.4, 2026, and had expected the letter would result in payment of his salaries in August, he is yet to be paid even till September 2026.
He appealed for governor’s urgent intervention, saying that he had become a play thing for the HMB CEO and Njum Onyemenam who keep sending him from one to the other for solution with no resolution in sight.
Contact made on the office of Azubuike at the JAC building in Umuahia but she was not on seat.
When her phone number was contacted with proper explanation of the reason for contacting her, she only said that she is not the one withholding Onyemachi’s salary hence he should go to the Ministry of Health.
Request for clarification on other issues raised met a brick wall as she ended the call abruptly and other calls to her number did not go through.
Our correspondent also went to the office of the Accountant General of the state but was not allowed inside by the security after introductions.
