Controversial Medical Fund: Don Jazzy, Nigerians Allegedly Swindled by Afe Babalola Hospital and Bisola Athonia in Over N6m Scandal

Controversial Medical Fund: Don Jazzy, Nigerians Allegedly Swindled by Afe Babalola Hospital and Bisola Athonia in Over N6m Scandal

.... Bisola Anthonia Paid N966,000 as against the N6M medical bill claimed by ABUAD Hospital

By Niyi Busari

It\'s now crystal clear that some individuals are using social media to fraudulently seek and solicit financial aid, scamming innocent people into making donations.

On October 24, 2023, former Naija Ratels player Fakiyesi Bisola Athonia shared a touching, mind-boggling, and palatable story on her X account about how the club neglected her one year after she sustained an injury while playing in a friendly match in Abuja.

In the thread, Athonia posted, \"On November 23rd, 2022, during a friendly game with the FCT coaches in Area 3 pitch Abuja, I was a Naija Ratels player. Twenty minutes into the game, I went in for a tackle and twisted my left knee. I was taken off the pitch on a stretcher, and immediately my knee became swollen. I was told to rest it for a while; everyone thought it was a normal knee knock that needed rest.

A few days later, I started feeling some bad pain in my knee. I did an X-ray, and no issue was seen on the X-ray. The doc administered some drugs, and I thought I’d be fine as long as I rest the leg.

\"I went home for Christmas and resumed back in January only to realize that the club has demoted me to the junior team in Makurdi and reduced my salary without providing me with any basic medical care regarding my knee injury. I sent a series of messages to the Chairman of the club @FcRatels, and I didn’t get any response till now.

\"I left Makurdi in August 2023 and went for another X-ray in Nisa premier hospital Abuja, and the orthopedic doc advised me to do an MRI scan. I did the scan at Abuad hospital Ado Ekiti. The result came out, and it was discovered I had torn my ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament) and I need surgery to fix it immediately so I can play football again.

\"I’ve been in pain for the past 1 year; it got to a point that I started walking with crutches and I take pain-relieving meds every day and I wear a knee brace all the time. I can’t do any training or walk a long distance cause of the injury.

\"I know injuries are inevitable in sport and I’m so sad and scared but ready to get this over with. I’ve really struggled with asking for help and putting this story out there but honestly, I’m not financially and mentally capable of doing this alone without y’all help.

\"The estimated cost of the treatment and surgery is about N5-6 million. I’ll be very grateful for any help and donation in whatever limit. Fakiyesi BISOLA 2238450774 UBA BANK.\" The post reads.

Touched by her story, three days after her post, on October 27, 2023, Nigerian record producer and CEO of Marvin Records, Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, posted a receipt for payment of Six Million naira (N6m) into Bisola Athonia\'s account for the operation. \"Done ✅. Get well soon 🤍🐘\" Don Jazzy posted, with the receipt attached.

Bisola Athonia, in an interview with Channels TV on Sunday, October 29, confirmed receipt of the N6m and also admitted that other Nigerians sent money into the account. She added that she came to solicit for public funding because she was abandoned by Naija Ratels and that neither she nor her parents could afford the cost of the surgery.

\'I want to thank Don Jazzy for donating Six million naira for the surgery operation. I wish to also thank other Nigerians who donated for the same operation.

Soliciting for financial aid on behalf of the player, Afe Babalola Multi-system Hospital (ABUAD) in a letter posted on X by the footballer, dated October 23, 2023, with the heading: \'Fakiyesi Anthonia Bisola, 21 Y/F/AH049278 pleaded on her behalf that the public should assist financially and otherwise for the successful surgical operation. It reads:

\"The above-named patient is a known patient of our facility who first presented to the orthopedic clinic today on account of chronic pain and swelling of the left knee of a year duration following a sport injury.

\"On examination - There is joint tenderness with effusion on the medial side of the left knee. There are specifications mark on the left knee.

\"MRI report - Bucket handle tear of the posterior horn and body of the medial meniscus noted. Acute complete tear of the mid 3rd of the anterior cruciate ligament noted. Sprain of the medial collateral ligament noted. Moderate joint effusion noted. As an assessment of the Unhappy triad of O\'Donoghue was made and she has been counseled for arthroscopic surgery for ligament and meniscus repair.

\"The estimated cost of the surgery is about (N5m-N6m) Five to Six Million. Kindly render assistance to her as you deem necessary.\"

Shocked on hearing that one of his team\'s players publicly solicited for funds to treat an injury she sustained while playing for Naija Ratels, the Chief Executive Officer of the club, Barrister Paul Edeh, said she should keep the money donated to her and come to Abuja for free surgical operation in one of the best hospitals in Nigeria.

\"I was not aware of what happened to Fakiyesi Anthonia Bisola because I have handed everything regarding the successful running of the club to individuals capable of discharging their duties. My attention was called to her case recently. But we cannot give excuses at this time and shy away from our responsibility. So, she should keep the money donated to her and come for surgical operation in one of the best hospitals in Nigeria which I will personally pick the financial responsibility.

\"We have taken care of the financial responsibility of many injured players that were not playing for our teams, so, we must also extend the same to her. We also have two different standard hospitals where players and officials go for medical check-ups and treatment.\" Barrister Paul Edeh said on Channels TV.

Responding, Fakiyesi rejected the offer of keeping the over N6m donated by Nigerians and go to Abuja for free treatment.

On a trip to Makurdi where she was first treated after the injury, our correspondent met the two doctors who have history regarding the knee injury.

Tersoo Joseph, a medical doctor at the Divine Love Hospital, Makurdi who treated her, said, when examined the injury was a minor one that did not require surgery. He added that she was in his office once and after giving her the pain relief and cream to be applied to the knee, she never showed up again. \"When I checked through my records, I noticed Bisola Anthonia came to this office once and when she came she walked in unaided which means the injury is not that serious. When I examined her, I discovered she had pains in her knee because when I touched it, she screamed. So, I decided to give her pain relief and cream to massage the knee and told her that she should come back after five days for re-examination, but she never returned.

Doctor Suleiman Yadachi, a trado-medical doctor based in Makurdi who treated her five weeks after Doctor Tersoo, said, she could not walk normally when he first saw her, but upon examination, he knew it was an injury he could handle. He added that after some treatment, she got better. \"When I first saw her, she couldn\'t walk normally, and after examination, I discovered that it was one we could handle. After some treatment her condition improved, and I asked her to resume training. She came back after two training sessions complaining, and when re-examined, I discovered that it a swollen vein that led to the pains which became normal after another treatment. I am surprised to hear that she went for surgery.

Following conflicting reports from the media about the amount charged by ABUAD Hospital, also, many argued that the surgical procedure should not be as costly as Six Million Naira, BSN Sports then decided to travel to Ado Ekiti to find out the fact about all that have transpired.

www.bsnsports.com.ng correspondent on Thursday, 9th November, 2023 at 8:25 am arrived at ABUAD Hospital Ado-Ekiti and met with the Deputy Certified Medical Doctor (CMD), Dr. Akinola Akinmade, who confirmed to the newspaper that he was the surgeon who performed the surgical operation on her knee. The medical practitioner of over 10 years experience also confirmed that the hospital (ABUAD) charged Six Million (N6m) and received the amount on Saturday, November 4. He explained that the cost for the surgery operation was Four million and One hundred thousand naira (N4.1M) while One million and nine hundred thousand naira (N1.9M) was reserved for psychotherapy and rehabilitation. Demanding on seeing her at the hospital, Akinmade said she had been released on Wednesday, November 8, a day before the writer visited the hospital.

The same day, when contacted on the phone, the ex-Naija Ratels player corroborated the surgeon, saying that she paid Six million Naira on Saturday, November 4, and was discharged on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, after a successful surgery operation. She also confirmed that N4.1m was deposited for surgery while N1.9m was paid for post-surgery rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, further investigation by BSN Sports showed that Bisola didn\'t pay Six million naira (N6M) into ABUAD account.

BSN Sports can reveal that the 200 Level Computer Science student of the National Open University of Nigeria paid Nine Hundred and Sixty-six thousand and two hundred naira (N966,200) in total as against acclaimed N6m. A breakdown of the payment showed that the injured striker didn\'t pay any money into ABUAD account on Saturday, November 4. She paid Two hundred thousand (N200,000) on November 7, and an additional Seven hundred and fifty-two thousand and two hundred naira (N752,200) on November 8, and Fourteen thousand naira (N14,000) on the same November 8, 2023. Totaling Nine hundred and sixty-six thousand and two hundred naira (N966,200).

Reacting, when contacted via phone call that the patient paid N966,200 only and not N6m as claimed by him, Doctor Akinola was very quick to distance himself from the controversy, saying, if there is any change in the amount (N6m) he told BSN Sports that Bisola paid, then the Accounting Department should be held responsible. \"If it is true that she paid Nine hundred and sixty-six thousand naira instead of Six million naira I told you about, then, the Accounting Department has questions to answer. When probed further, he said, \" I am not in a position to answer all these questions and will advise that you write officially to the hospital to get an answer to the questions.\" the Deputy CMD at ABUAD said.

Efforts to officially confirm the amount received by ABUAD Hospital for the surgery, when the Ekiti State-born player was admitted and released were frustrated as the Hospital failed to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request Letter sent to the Multi-system Hospital. On December 8, 2023, a letter requesting the amount the patient paid, the date the surgery was performed, cost incurred for post-surgery rehabilitation, the discharge date, and the number of rehabilitation sessions attended by Ms. Abisola Anthonia was sent to the hospital.

Seven days later, on December 15, a reminder was sent, yet no response from the hospital. Also, on 14th December, 2023 a hard copy of the letter was received at the office of the CMD of the hospital.

On Tuesday, December 19, at 7:21 pm, Bisola Anthonia called the writer asking why he should write such a letter without her permission.

\"I received a letter from ABUAD Hospital today written by you, asking questions on the surgery they did for me. How can you write such letter without taking permission from me. Anthonia queried. Who authorized you to do that? She asked with anger in her voice.

\"As a journalist, you should know that anything surrounding the surgery is personal and so, it\'s wrong for you to write a letter asking those questions without contacting me.\" Fakiyesi Bisola Anthonia yelled and dropped the call.