Workers at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu has given a
14-day ultimatum to the minister of state for health to tackle all the
management issues affecting the hospital or have the battle shift to the
National Assembly.
This followed a reported failed peace move initiated by the Enugu State Police Commissioner.
DAILY POST gathered that the police chief had invited all the warring
parties in the health institution with hope of finding a common ground.
However, it was learnt that as soon as the parties returned to the
hospital, the Medical Director, Dr. Jojo Onwukwe, who was also at the
peace parley, issued query to all the staff who were present at the
meeting with the CP, except his allies.
The development has already sparked fresh round of crisis in the
institution with the two nurses’ associations, the University Graduate
Nursing Sciences Associationin (UGONSA) and the Association of
Psychiatric Nurses of Nigeria, (APNON) in the area vowing to mobilize
for a major industrial unrest.
In a press statement made available to journalists in Enugu, the
national secretary of UGONSA, G.I Nshi called on the Federal Ministry of
Health to intervene and save the hospital from unavoidable crisis.
The group said it was strange that several months after a panel, sent
from the Federal ministry of health visited the hospital, its
recommendations were yet to be implemented.
They added that the minister of state for health had equally visited
the hospital but was yet to take any action on the endless crisis.
The group, therefore, called on the ministry to look into the decade-long crisis in the hospital.
“We are using this medium to alert the Federal Ministry of health to
the looming fresh crisis at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital,
Enugu.
“As concerned citizens of Nigeria and workers in the hospital, we
cannot continue to fold our hands and watch the obvious victimization
and threat of workers, as well as abuse of office by the Medical
Director, Jojo Onwukwe.
“We have tried to maintain the peace in the hospital, but the
management through its cronies, is not ready to heed to any form of
peace moves.
“It has remained clear that the Medical Director is hell-bent on
clamping down on his perceived enemies in the hospital, who he believes
to have instigated a criminal case against his personal secretary, Mrs.
Stella Achara.
“This is despite the public knowledge that Mrs. Achalla is standing
trial not for union matters but for allegedly defrauding over 50 job
seekers.
“Shockingly, the MD has resorted to self-help by coming after members
of staff, who he believes instigated the victims of the fraud into
taking up the matter. As a result, the said staff, mostly in the school
of Nursing, were now under the MD’s daily attack, which he launches
through one of his attack dogs, one Andrew Orovwigho. The said Andrew is
hiding under SERVICOM, to harass life out of them.
“While he issued query to some staff for attending peace parley
initiated by the Enugu CP, nothing has been said of the MD’s secretary,
Mrs. Achara, her children and brother who had been absent from work
repeatedly.
“We also have a case where a senior worker, in the position of ADN,
has been asked to hand over the emergency unit of the hospital to a
junior officer in the level of CNO. No other persecution could be more
than this.
“Following these developments, we are calling for the immediate
implementation of the report of the Federal ministry of health’s
visitation panel. We believe that this is the only thing that will bring
about a lasting peace in the hospital.
“We may not guarantee industrial peace any longer if action was not
taken to stop this endless intimidation, victimization and abuse of
office by the MD.
“It is getting to a point where all the nurses in the country will be
mobilized to the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu in order to
end this impunity.
“We, therefore, urge the Honourable Minister of State for Health to
come to our aid and save these workers from such a humiliating
experience.”
The workers said should the ministry fail to accede to their requests, they would take the matter to the National Assembly.
“We can’t continue to keep quiet in the face of tyranny. We will take
the matter before the both health committees in the Senate and the
House of Representatives if the report is not implemented within 14
days”, the workers vowed.
Meanwhile, a reliable source in the Federal ministry of health told
journalists in confidence that the panel, among other things recommended
that the MD be caused to activate the process of appointment of a
substantive assistant director/HOD administration.
“Cause the MD to place Mrs. Achara on suspension as required by the rule until the determination of the case by the court;
“To ratify as substantive the acting appointment of the principal of the school of nursing;
“Direct immediate conduct of 2017 senior staff promotion exercise with the participation of eligible ADNs;
“Direct all parties to sheath their sword.”