Health workers under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) have faulted the committee report that exonerated the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri, Angela Uwakwem, from all the corrupt allegations that were raised against her.
The National President of Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josaiah, at a media briefing in Abuja, yesterday, described as fraud the manner and way the committee submitted the report.
In the past few months, health workers at the FMC Owerri have been at daggers drawn with the CMD over alleged corruption issues, which necessitated the Federal Ministry of Health setting up a committee to examine the issues.
The committee last week presented its report, exonerating her of all allegations.
Some of the allegations earlier raised against her include denial of the 2013 and 2014 promotion arrears that runs into several millions of naira, and that she paid herself for spending extra hour at work against the civil service rule, among others.
However, Josaiah at the media briefing said: “In a report hurriedly written without our input and in desperation to ensure that the matter is swept under the carpet before the resumption of the minister of health who would be coming with the change mantra of Mr President, Dr. Uwakwem was exonerated from any financial misappropriation and corruption. Nothing can be further from the truth.
“Facts available have it that the medical director is in breach of public service rule 030301, 030402, 100230. 030404 which borders on misconduct and serious misconduct and financial regulation S.316 (ii) which deals with virement from one head in the recurrent expenditure to another head of account in the capital expenditure being prohibited amongst other infractions, details of which are contained in our minority report and our previous correspondences to the head of the civil service of the federation.
“You recall that a fact finding committee was set up to look into the matters in Owerri and a presentation was made. Just after then, a matter we thought would be for internal implementation and discussion was leaked to the media and there was a lot of misinformation.”
He also insisted that the union member who had been part of the committee was sidelined and the report was submitted without the view of its members.
“The union was part of the committee. Along the line, there were divergent views and we wrote our minority report.
“Prior to the meeting where the report was presented, we have agreed that we should have one full house meeting so that we can agree whether we can harmonise positions before we move on.
“But to our surprise, besides the fact that we were not given the opportunity to go for the last discussion which was converted for presentation, again, the booklet that was presented, we did not have the privilege to even see what was presented, as our committee report and our own minority report was not included in the official report.”