The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu, is in the news again for the wrong reasons.
It could be recalled that the federal government institution has faced an intractable crisis spanning different administrations.
However, the Medical Director, Dr Monday Igwe, upon assumption of office, pledged to restore normalcy to the institution.
He indeed won the hearts of all the warring factions, leading to a truce and moment of peace.
But recent checks show that the days of bickering are back, with a coalition of Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, urging the Inspector General of Police to reopen investigations against the Medical Director.
In a letter obtained by Newspot, dated June 6, 2023, and signed by the convener of the Coalition, Comrade Onyebuchi Igboke, they claimed that Igwe was abusing the peace process set out by the MInistry of Health.
The letter was entitled: ‘REQUEST FOR THE RE-OPENING OF INVESTIGATION AGAINST MANAGING DIRECTOR, FEDERAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, NEW HAVEN ENUGU.’
It read: “Coalition of Civil Society Organisations is a joint civil society group with sole intent of entrenching rule of law and accountability in public institutions, to ensure improved service delivery.
“It is based on these set objectives that we initiated a petition against misconduct and corruption allegations against Dr. Monday Igwe, Medical Director Federal Neuropsychiatric, New Haven Enugu.
“Sir, our petition was put on hold because the Director of Hospitals and former Minister wrote to us to allow them intervene on the issue which we accepted to enable accountability and transparency in the institution.
“But currently the MD is seriously abusing the entire peace accord and stay of action issued by then Minister. We sincerely request the re-opening of the corruption allegations against the MD, Dr. Monday Igwe as attached here in our previous petition.”
Meanwhile, Igboke while briefing journalists in Enugu, alongside members of the coalition on the recent developments, called on Igwe to resign from office in order to allow discreet investigation of the allegations levelled against him.
The coalition claimed the presence of Igwe in office as Medical Director will obstruct the police investigation.
Igboke argued that “as a suspect, he cannot be a judge in his own case”, adding that stepping aside will allow full scale investigation and review of all allegations without interference.
He further accused the Medical Director of victimising his perceived enemies, gross violation of civil service rules, nepotism, bullying of some staff, sending the wife on study leave abroad with full pay contrary to the health ministry’s circular, among other alleged infractions.
“Stability of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu will save more lives, enable the staff members to focus on discharging their duties without witch-hunting and impunity-driven vendetta orchestrated by the Medical Director who was sent to restore peace in the institution, but is now agent of rancour and crisis,” Igboke added.
In the said petition earlier sent to the IGP, the coalition claimed that a fresh crisis is looming at the hospital over abuse of office, nepotism, tribalism and manifestation of obvious acts of power intoxication by Igwe.
Igboke alleged that: “Dr Monday Nwite Igwe has been acting with impunity, gross violation of all civil service rules and constitution. He boasts that he has overpowered the Ministry of Health, as well as the fact that two of his brothers, one a General in the Nigeria Army and another a seasoned lawyer are there to give him the desired protection.
“Actually, Dr. Monday Nwite Igwe came third during the process of selection of a new medical director for the hospital but the Ministry of Health presumed him a neutral person having come from Alex Ekwueme University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki but the reverse is the case as he is a product of the cabals in the hospital having been trained by the said cabals that have wreaked havoc for the past eight years in the hospital.
“He was trained and supervised by the said cabals, hence he is now acting their scripts in the hospital.”
Apart from accusing Igwe of unlawfully trying to make certain people Principal and Vice of the School of Basic Psychiatry, the coalition also alleged that “Igwe while trying to sack the principal and the vice principal of the school, secretly employed over hundred staff into the hospital, especially people from Ebonyi, his home state, without advertising the employment so as to give everybody equal opportunity.
“This is in gross violation of the extant rules that stipulates that jobs must be advertised before employment.
“The former minister of state for health fixed the problems and sternly warmed Dr Monday Igwe to stop victimising and bullying staff, which nearly cost him second tenure, but he waited for the minister to leave office only to lay ambush in the school.”
They demanded that the Medical Director should be asked to step aside for full scale investigations to avert looming industrial unrest in the hospital.
Meanwhile, efforts made to obtain reactions from the MD was unfruitful as he told journalists he was out of town.
Subsequent efforts also made to hear from him could not yield results.
However, he had previously maintained that he has restored the lost glory of the health institution and that he is running an open administration to the admiration of members of staff.
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