By Steve Oche
An Abuja-based civil rights group, Worried Nigerians (WN) has called on the Federal Government, particularly the authorities of the Federal Ministry of Health, to rein in its staff identified to be frustrating peaceful service delivery at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, and its School of Post Basic Nursing, in Enugu.
The group said it will not be out of place to subject such staff to mental evaluation.
This is as the International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative in alliance with Enugu State Network of Civil Society Organizations (ENSNET) and Coalition of Civil Society Workers and Human Rights Defenders, urged the Federal Ministry of Health to as a matter of urgency, direct the Medical Director, Dr. Monday Igwe to appoint substantive principal and other principal officers for the nursing school.
Worried Nigerians in a statement by its Executive Director, Comrade Moses Idika in Abuja on Thursday, alleged that a certain staff of the establishment who seemed ‘untouchable’ has continued to stoke crises there for over 12 years.
The group wondered what had happened to public service rules that a staff of a government institution would remain a clog in the wheel of progress in the establishment.
It noted that the leadership of the current medical director had ushered in an era of peace and upliftment in the hospital but lamented that those they referred to “enemies of progress were hel bent in destroying the commendable achievements made so far.”
Also, ENSNET said that it had after a painstaking investigation discovered that the headship of the school of nursing was at the centre of the orchestrated negative publications on the institution in the social media.
The group which said that it would soon make its report on what led to the suspension of regulatory activities in the school by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria public, urged government to be decisive in its intervention.
“We are investigating the objective situation in details regarding this development and will make our report known to you and the members of the public in earnest.
“Consequently we are urging you not to initiate the suspension of the Medical Director of the Hospital based on the prompt of the alleged petition of some persons acting in the guise of Civil Society Organizations without thorough and a comprehensive investigation and hearing from all the parties involved and all the stakeholders in the school including the trade union groups in the Hospital,” the group prayed the SGF.
“We are also asking that Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health should mandate the Chief Medical Director of the hospital to as a matter of urgency advertise and appoint a qualified substantive principal for the School of Nursing since our preliminary findings indicate that the reason for the suspension of academic activities in the school was as a result of the fact that the school is being headed as principal by somebody without the required academic and experience requirements,” they urged.
The petition to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume was signed by President of the network, Comrade Osmond Ugwu, Executive Director of RED-Foundation, Comrade Ugonna Ozor and Comrade Chukwudi Aniachuna, Secretary, Coalition of Civil Society Workers and Human Rights Defenders.
