If the petition by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisation to the inspector General of Police is anything to go by, the Medical Director of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu, Dr. Monday Igwe Nwite, shouldn’t remain in charge of the hospital for another one day.
In the petition written by the leader of the Coalition, Comr. Igboke Onyebuchi, the Medical Director “is not in control of the hospital, lacks administrative/managerial experience as he was brought from the University without acquiring any administrative/hospital management experience thus, the hospital is now a ticking time bomb.”
ABUSE OF DUE PROCESS
Igboke accused the MD of refusing to “reinstate the substantive Principal and the substantive Vice Principal of the School of Post Basic Mental Health Nursing of the hospital Mrs Ruth Buzo-Maduka and Mr Afam Ndu respectively after the Medical Director and cabals have suspended the duo on two different occasions without success as the said suspensions were reversed by the Federal Ministry of Health and the board for lack of merit.
“The Medical Director and the cabals again conspired and implicated them in a trump allegation of murder but the duo were later discharged and acquitted by the court. This is in gross violation of the provision of the Public Service Rules No. 030404 (iii) which provides for the immediate reinstatement and payment of all the emoluments having been discharged and acquitted by the court.
“Having removed the substantive Principal of the school Mrs Ruth Buzo-Maduka, the Medical Director went on to further punish her by posting her to the ward/clinical area to work under a nursing staff; Mrs Sussan Agi who is four years her junior in ranking. Mrs Sussan Agi is currently the Head of Nursing Services and also sister to the Medical Director. This also is in gross violation of Public Service Rules No 020106 which provides for seniority in service.
“Dr Monday Nwite Igwe is in gross violation of the Public Service Rules No. 020601 which stipulates that in the absence of the substantive principal and vice principal, the most senior should take over in an acting capacity pending the determination of the substantive issue rather, Dr Monday Nwite Igwe pulled his wife, Mrs Chinonye Igwe from the ward/clinical area of Alex Ekwueme University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki and appointed her the substantive vice principal irrespective of the fact that she is not qualified for this position.”
ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION
Igboke went on to narrate that the Dr. Nwite allegedly “collected N3,000,000 (three million naira) from one Mrs Stella Oyeamaka Agbo to make her the substantive principal. This is not withstanding the fact that the said Stella Oyeamaka Agbo is hierarchically junior to and also a student of both Mrs Ruth Buzo-Maduka and Mr Afam Ndu.
“Under the watchful eyes of Dr Monday Nwite Igwe as the medical director, Mr Alphonsus Mba, Mrs Stella Oyeamaka Agbo and Mrs Chinonye Igwe, the sum of N6,000,000 (six million naira) being students’ school fees and other fees of 2019/2020 set which was supposed to be paid through remita was collected cash by them and the said sum disappeared from the school account till date. This is a clear violation of the Federal Government regulation that made provision for payments of all moneys via remita. It was equally alleged that the said sums of money were shared amongst themselves because no serious action or a report to any law enforcement agency was made by the management. The matter was swept under the carpet.
“Under the watchful eyes of Dr Monday Igwe as the medical director, Mrs Stella Oyeamaka Agbo, Mrs Chinonye Igwe and one Mr Princeton Osamor who is not a staff of the school, the sum of N1,600,000 (one million, six hundred thousand naira) being amount meant for the registration of the 2021 set of students with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria disappeared leaving the students stranded. To offset this sum so as to achieve the registration, the students were levied again while the medical director on his part brought the sum of N1,000,000:00 (one million naira) to augment the students’ contribution. All these fraudulent activities have not happened in the history of the school and this is one of the reasons the Medical Director Dr Monday Nwite Igwe does not want the substantive principal and vice back to their positions.
“It is also alleged that as a means of syphoning fund from the hospital, the Medical Director employed many honorary consultants who do not even come to work but are paid monthly salary and thereafter settle the Medical Director behind. Some of these honorary consultants include his childhood friend Dr Bobsam Ohayi who is a consultant pathologist at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu. The vital question is: ‘what is a pathologist doing in a psychiatric hospital?’ Another friend of his Dr Chukwujekwu who is based in Port Hacourt is equally employed in the hospital while four of his colleagues working at the Alex Ekwueme State Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki are also employed in the hospital as honorary consultants.
“It is equally alleged that the Medical Director collected the sum of N2,000,000:00 (two million naira) each from four nurses and promoted them to the position of Assistant Director (Nursing) without going through the due process of promotion exercise as provided by Public Service Rules. Their names are: 1. Nurse Patricia Odo 2. Nurse Clara Omeghoha 3. Nurse Crescentia Ugwu and 4. Nurse Eugenia Abaratu.
“It is alleged that the Medical Director collected the sum of N3,000,000:00 (three million naira) from one Mr Francis Chinawa and promoted him to the position of Assistant Director (Nursing) despite the fact that Francis Chinawa’s request to do a post graduate studies in Ebonyi State University was refused by the management and also in gross violation and contravention of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation circular number HCSF/EPO/EIR/CND /100ST/97 dated 8/9/2016 which stipulates that a degree in nursing science is a must before being promoted to the position of Assistant Director (Nursing) which Chinawa Francis does not have.
NEPOTISM WALKING ON BARE FEET
Igboke further alleged that nepotism is now the order of the day at the hospital as the MD, Dr. Nwite appointed his wife; Mrs Chinonye Igwe as a Vice Principal in the school and she’s currently “the de facto principal of the school.
“His sister, Nurse Sussan Agi is the Head of Nursing Services and her four years senior in ranking Mrs Ruth Buzo-Maduka has been humiliated to work under her as a subordinate for the past one year.
“His brother Mr Friday Oduburu who is a staff of the hospital was contracted to manage the hospital canteen along with his wife. He now sells alcoholic drinks in the hospital canteen and he has also taken over the hospital photocopying machine in the library for his use in the canteen.
“Mr Friday Igwe who is the immediate brother to MD is now in-charge of the hospital hall and is contracting same out to outsiders for functions as well as mismanaging the proceeds generated from it without accountability.
Mr. Igboke in the 5-page petition read before journalists in Enugu, urged the IGP to investigate these allegations and if Dr Nwite is found wanting, he should be made to face the law.
Every effort to reach Dr. Nwite Igwe to react to these allegations failed as he told journalists that he’s not available and won’t be coming back anytime soon.
