Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secrets Reporters
Following the realization that the Medical Director, Mrs Angela Uwakwem will be relieved of her duty any moment soon, her partner in crime who is also the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute has resorted to cooking lies against the striking medical and health workers, claiming that they want Angela to go for selfish reasons.
In a document obtained by Secrets Reporters, containing the reasons demanded for Angela to be removed, Awute clearly goofed in his submission to the public.
The workers in a five page reply to the perm sec countered his many lies. Read their reply:
“The health workers of the FMC Owerri drawn from the three unions, National association of Nigeria nurses and midwives (NANNM), Medical and health workers union of nigeria (MHWUN) and Nigeria union of allied health professionals (NUAHP) have read your position and publication on page 53 of THISDAY NEWSPAPER of 4th June 2015 and affirm in resolute voice of pain to further accept your proven integrity, condemned the provocative and derogatory statements you rained on them.
The members questioned elusion of transparency and procedural virtues tenable in public services and critically agree that your good offices have started taking sides with a chief executive officer whom her record on financial recklessness is marginally heartbreaking; and which the unions leaders, live and direct offered you photocopies of evidence of her financial illegality on 25th May 2015 at Abuja in assembly with minister of state for health, Engr. Fidelis Nwankwo and other top officers in the ministry.
The workers queried the inablity of the ministry of health investigation panel on the existing work-to-do-strike and smelt a rat from the team in anticipation. The three unions (MHWUN, NANNM and NUAHP) have resolved after a congress on 4th June 2015 to refute the points raised by your office to trample on the workers right to live; right to peaceful assembly; right to peaceful protest; right to suggestions; right to solutions and right to leadership as enshrined in relevant extant laws and rules; and hereby react as follow:
1. Let it be known that for the purposes of clarity that the meeting on 25th May 2015 was between the ministry of health and the head of various unions (NANNM, MHWUN and NUAHP) and not Nigerian union of allied health professionals
2. That the unavoidable work-to-do strike worker embarked upon by the health workers of FMC Owerri is not in any way the wishes of the workers but to press home on issues that affect the collective harmony of the citizens of imo state and Nigeria in general; and that the security agencies (the police, the security services and the military) have attested to the workers communal maturity, civility and law abiding nature the workers entrenched in the organization of the ongoing work to rule strike
3. That the work-to-rule strike is not only being observed or organized by the NUAHP rather the entire hospital community comprising the NANNM and MHWUN; and recently the asociation of resident Doctors have commenced theirs. The workers lament the insensitivity of the ministry of address the plight of imo state citizens access to quality health care because of the ministry’s interest on a particular person.
4. That the workers have never acted in any form of impunity and never barred the Medical Director from duty. The derogatory words of impunity, hooliganism and breakdown of law are affront and intimidation on workers from the ministry of health to paint the workers dirty before the public who have condemned the actions of the medical director, Dr Angela Uwakwem; and such words go in tandem with the same abusive words from the medical directors’s publication on SUN NEWSPAPER of 28th May 2015 page 55
5. That the health workers rejected the medical director’s proposal on PPP because of procedural errors and it was concealed under guise of deceit and selfishness by the chief executive, who has done such in some units in the hospital without any impact on the patients or to the centre, rather serves as a channel to escape internally generated revenue of the hospital away from remittance to the federal purse.
6. The health workers protest on 15th May 2015 was guided and under the watch of directorate of state security services and need for lawlessness, hired thugs, booing and molestation never arose in the first place rather humbly begged the board’s resolution on black and white paper, which the board had earlier issued orally. With due respect sir, be reminded that we signed a security pact with the directorate of state security services al bi nitio
7. That the workers never claimed either to judge or to execute, rather want the ministry of health to do the needful and save the Imolites.
8. That on the invitation of unions leaders from FMC Owerri on 25th May 2015, you were offered concrete evidences of misappropriation of funds and the solutions to the problems are yet to come, not minding the pains the imolites are undergoing for the sake of an individual.
9. That skipping was never the workers agitation rather 2013/2014 promotion arrears which have been paid to our similar members across the nation irrespective of fact that the personnel money vired by the medical director would have been used to settle the arrears.
10. That the issue of 60 to 65 retirement age, which you will be a beneficiary is a national issue and not a local one and never formed a part of the allegations from the workers. This is just to make the matter clear, straight and avoid muddling up the national and local issues.
11. That the appeal from the ministry of health to the workers to resume work was humbly rejected by the workers in a letter with reference number HU/GFM/01/08 forwarded to you on 1st June 2015.
12. That the workers have never abused the extant laws and rules and cause for impunity never arose. The peaceful protest ongoing in the center is within the confines of the extant rules and no single broom or stick has been broken; adn the conducts of workers have been lauded by both security bodies and the public.
13. That the ill treatment on workers from the ministry of health abrogates the civic rights of workers as enshrined in the constitution, labour laws and public service rules; and suggests that the ministry of health should save the imolites from pain and medical hardship.
In conclusion, let it be known for record purposes that the staff of FMC Owerri under the aegis of NANNM, MHWUN and NUAHP are alleging gross financial misconduct and highhandedness by the medical director, Dr Angela Uwakwem and the ministry of health should invoke the relevant sections of public service rule (030401, 030401 (e), (k), (m), 030406 and 030404) to prosecute her crime
Signed:
Com. Andy Okonkwo Ebere, Chairman MHWUN FMCO
Com. Uhiara Catherine, Chairman, NANNM FMCO
Com. Ezeugwu Clifford, Chairman, NUAHP FMCO
We also present the original petition to the ministry which they have refused to act on, rather, Awute who is alleged to have collected millions of naira as bribe is shielding her from being sacked, for investigations to be carried out on the fraud she committed.
Meanwhile the board met at Vine Hotel, Durumi, Abuja, according to our sources, where it was agreed that she should be immediately removed. The National body of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) we can authoritatively reveal has also asked for her sack, since the allegations against her are weighty, with loss of lives already in the state, due to the shutting down of hospital services by the workers.
