A coalition of civil society and human rights organizations, under the Joint National Actions Front Nigeria, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chief of Staff, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to intervene in what it describes as a crisis at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu.
The group has submitted a petition, demanding the suspension of the confirmation of Dr. Ngozi Unaogu as the Chief Medical Director (CMD) and cautioning the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa, over alleged administrative misconduct.
During a press conference held in Abuja on Monday, September 23, 2024, the coalition’s representatives raised concerns about what they termed “a worrisome situation” at the hospital.
They allege that Dr. Alausa is pushing to install Dr. Ngozi Unaogu as the substantive CMD despite her reported failure in the selection interview.
The petition was signed by several prominent members of civil society, including Tunji Olajide of The Citizen Watch, Salusi Badamasi of Social Rights and Justice, and Martins Henry of Advocacy and Sustainable Governance Initiative.
They demanded for the immediate suspension of Dr. Ngozi Unaogu’s confirmation as CMD and for the reinstatement of Dr. Igwe in line with the recommendations of the investigative panel and the House Committee on Public Wrongs.
“The minister unceremoniously removed Dr. Monday Nwite Igwe, the substantive CMD, and replaced him with Dr. Unaogu, despite her not being the most senior consultant. This was done without due process,” the group stated in its petition.
According to the coalition, Dr. Igwe was suspended by the minister on what they described as “trivial issues,” despite being cleared by a ministerial panel that recommended his reinstatement with only a warning. “Instead of following this recommendation, Dr. Alausa bypassed the SGF and wrote directly to the president, requesting that Dr. Igwe be sacked,” the petition alleged. They further claimed that the minister lacks the authority to suspend or dismiss a chief executive appointed by the president.
The petitioners argue that Dr. Igwe’s suspension came just three months into his second-term appointment as CMD. Despite taking the matter to the House Committee on Public Wrongs, which reportedly agreed that the minister misled the president, Dr. Alausa proceeded to advertise the CMD position.
“The Industrial Court had served Dr. Alausa with processes on the case brought by Dr. Igwe, yet the minister ignored the court and was in a hurry to install Dr. Unaogu,” the petition stated. The group further accused Dr. Unaogu of overstaying in her acting capacity, contrary to public service rules.
They claim that during the interview for the position, two candidates, Dr. Ngozi Unaogu and Dr. Andrew Oroghiwo, were shortlisted, with Dr. Oroghiwo scoring higher. “Dr. Oroghiwo came first with 65.3%, while Dr. Unaogu scored 59.2%, which is below the 60% benchmark for promotion in civil service,” the petition said.
The group further alleged that after the interview, Dr. Alausa used the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate Dr. Oroghiwo, who came out on top. “It is clear that Dr. Alausa wants Dr. Unaogu to be the CMD at all costs, and this is because of their alleged involvement in a 40 billion Naira intervention fund for an abandoned building complex at the hospital,” they claimed.
The petition also highlighted the case of Dr. Ndu, the principal of the hospital’s Post-Basic School of Psychiatric Nursing, who has reportedly been suspended multiple times under Dr. Unaogu’s leadership.
“Dr. Unaogu has instigated a committee in the hospital to target Dr. Ndu, despite a court ruling in 2017 that cleared him of defamation charges brought by Dr. Unaogu and her colleagues,” the petition claimed.
The group argued that Dr. Unaogu’s actions are in contempt of court and part of a personal vendetta against Dr. Ndu. “Dr. Ndu has been on interdiction without salary for over a year, which is against public service rules,” they noted.
The Joint National Actions Front Nigeria is giving the federal government a two-week ultimatum to address the issues raised in the petition or face protests.
“As an organization, we will not allow the Minister to run a public institution like a personal business. The level of impunity being exhibited is unacceptable, and we will resist this through picketing and protests,” they declared.
The coalition has vowed to stage a protest at the Ministry of Health on October 1, 2024, if the situation is not resolved. “Dr. Tunji Alausa must go. We cannot have this level of bad governance in our health institutions,” they stated.
