Baring any last minute intervention, the Medical Director, Federal Neuropsychiatric hospital Enugu, Monday Igwe is determined to albeit Illegally shutdown the only School Of Mental Nursing in the South East just to serve his own interest.
Relying on a hitherto ghost letter from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Professor Nwigwe (Nwite), without recourse to those responsible for the management of the Nursing school, announced the closure of the school and asked the over 600 students to go home.
When Journalists made efforts to reach the Medical Director and seek further clarification, he read from a letter which he said was from the Nursing Council and “as a father, I can’t have this letter and keep it for extra one day without informing the students,” he told the journalists. When the journalists asked to him to avail them a copy of the letter, he declined and directed them to go to the council as the letter is confidential.
When contacted, the Nursing and Midwifery Council said they never ordered the shutting down of the school but they withdrew their regulatory activities as a result of the petition, which was written by the management of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu.
Making a copy of the letter available to journalists, a staff of the council said a petition was written by the top management of the Hospital and the Medical Director said if they write the letter for him, it will aid him in putting the school in order.
“The letter was written on the orders of the MD,” the staff who doesn’t want his name in print said. “He said the letter from the council will enable him sanitize the school management.”
The staff said the council does not have any problem with the school and have even received their list of students for indexing for the necessary exams.
In the light of the recent discoveries, a call was put across to Professor Nwigwe (the MD) telling him that all he has said earlier didn’t check out and the need to get his reaction in the face of our new discoveries. After the call, further attempts to reach him for clarifications hit the brick wall as he became evasive. From having a retreat with the permanent secretary (which was later discovered to be a lie) to being in a meeting and till date, he doesn’t answer his calls nor respond to SMS.
However, sources in the hospital said the major reason their MD wants to shutdown the school is in preparation for his wife who’s on an alleged illegal study leave abroad with pay (against civil service rule) to come back and takeover.
“Mr. Nwite wants to continue his nepotism and that’s why he’s fighting to shut this school down not minding the consequences on the students and the region. He wants to bring his kinsman to head the school.
“If you think I’m lying about this allegation of nepotism, go and check the list of those employed in the last 4 years, they’re all from his state,” a staff of the hospital who doesn’t want her name in print said.
Another staff said the effort to shutdown the school has nothing to do with the council but Mr. Nwite’s plot to force a leadership change.
“This is a predetermined move because he has quickly transferred all the staff working in the school to other departments. If he’s doing whatever he’s doing in good fate, why the rush to transfer all the staff of the school?” he asked.
