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•Accountant queried, ordered to refund funds
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
A financial controversy involving N61.41 million has hit the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN), with official documents showing that the Board’s Head of Finance and Accounts, Mr. Olarinde Adesoji, was queried over the transfer of the funds and subsequently directed to refund the money.
The controversy has taken a fresh turn following disclosures by the former Registrar/Chief Executive of the Board, Mark Okeji, that the transactions were formally queried during his tenure and that Adesoji responded before a directive was issued for the funds to be returned.
Okeji, who spoke in an interview, said the query, Adesoji’s response, the refund directive and other correspondence relating to the transactions were contained in the finance chief’s official file.
He said an auditor was also invited to examine the transactions, adding that the relevant documents were handed over to the current Registrar, Dr Garba Idris, during the formal transition from his administration.
Correspondence between the Board and Adesoji obtained by The Sun showed that the N61.41 million comprised N43.41 million transferred in two transactions to Bellmatric Agro Limited and another N18 million transferred to Melkam Star Global Ventures Limited.
In a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Okeji alleged that the transfers were made without his knowledge and approval and requested an investigation into the circumstances surrounding them.
The documents, however, showed that Adesoji acknowledged making the transfers but offered explanations for them.
In his written response to a query dated October 15, 2025, Adesoji said the N43.41 million transferred to Bellmatric Agro Limited was part of an arrangement intended to reduce the Board’s 25 per cent revenue remittance to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
According to him, the money was temporarily “warehoused” and was expected to be returned to the Board’s corporate account after monitoring and inspection agencies had completed their assignments.
He said the arrangement was conceived because some monitoring agencies allegedly charged substantial amounts against the Board’s revenue income. Adesoji apologised for not bringing the arrangement to the attention of the Registrar but maintained that he did not deliberately or surreptitiously transfer the money.
Documents reviewed by The Sun showed that N33.08 million was transferred to Bellmatric Agro Limited on October 29, 2024, while another N10.33 million was transferred to the same account on November 9, 2024.
A further N18 million was transferred on June 5, 2025, to Melkam Star Global Ventures Limited at TAJ Bank. Explaining the N18 million transaction, Adesoji said the money represented accumulated tax liabilities covering 2020 to 2023.
He claimed that tax officials provided the account details for the payment because the Board was experiencing difficulties accessing the TaxPro Max platform to settle the outstanding liabilities.
Adesoji also stated in his response that most members of the accounts department were aware of the payments and the procedure adopted.
But in a letter dated October 17, 2025, Okeji rejected the explanations and described Adesoji’s response as “unacceptable.”
He specifically faulted the justification for transferring the N43.41 million in relation to CRF remittance and directed Adesoji to refund both the N43.41 million and N18 million into the Board’s account within 24 hours.
Speaking on the matter, Okeji said: “The query, his response, the directive for refund and the other correspondence were all in his official file. “An auditor was also invited to look into the matter, and all the relevant documents were handed over to my successor during the formal transition.” The former Registrar said the current management was better placed to provide official confirmation on whether the entire N61.41 million was eventually refunded and, if so, when the repayments were made.
He added that his successor was briefed on the matter and subsequently informed the Minister of Health.
Contacted, the current Registrar, Dr Idris, confirmed that he was aware of the matter but declined to comment further.
Former Chairman of the Board, Bakre Abdulfatai Kolawole, also said he had no knowledge of the transactions, which reportedly occurred during his tenure.
Adesoji was similarly contacted but declined to comment, saying he was not authorised to provide further information on the matter.
The outstanding question is whether the N61.41 million covered by the refund directive was subsequently returned to the Board and what findings, if any, emerged from the audit.
While the available documents establish that the transfers took place and were queried by the then Registrar, they do not by themselves establish criminal liability or conclusively show that the funds were permanently diverted.
In its petition to the EFCC, however, the Board requested an investigation into the transactions, recovery of any funds found to have been improperly transferred and prosecution of any persons found culpable.
The current management is yet to publicly clarify whether the funds were fully refunded, the outcome of the audit or whether any further disciplinary or administrative action was taken over the transactions.
