By Abel Johngold Orheruata
A high level of sharp practices is allegedly still rocking the Nursing Schools in Delta State, despite the panel of investigation being set up following a high level of corruption related cases and sharp practices leveled against the Director of Nursing in Delta State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Veto Osanekwu and the Principal, School of Nursing, Warri, Mr. Sydney Enwelikwu.
Though the culprits were alleged to be sanctioned by the State Government through transfer, sources revealed that it did not hold water, as the transfer of the Director, Mrs. Osanekwu to the State Primary Healthcare has been reversed adding that the Principal, School of Nursing, Warri, Mr. Enwelikwu who was also transferred to School of Nursing Eku and demoted to a Class room teacher is now lobbying to secure his position back like his counterpart.
The expressed concern was that, though the panel sat and investigated the allegations leveled against the aforementioned, the state government did not wait for the findings and recommendations of the panel before reinstating the Director and this is viewed in some quarters as an encouragement to corruption.
This newspaper was reliably informed that the allegations leveled against the culprits includes sales of examination question papers to student nurses, and transferring of large sum of money from the schools accounts to their private accounts.
According to our source, “The level of corruption by these officers was very appalling. A situation were a director and principal sold exams questions paper to student nurses, resulting to leakage of exams questions. And they also transferred large sum of money from the schools account to their private accounts”.
A further investigation into more allegations revealed to this newspaper that, the School of Nursing, Agbor is not also left out of this sharp practices. As the Principal, Mrs Tesy Onwuka, recently, without following due process, sold the old Coastal bus belonging to the nursing School.
Our source noted that, going by the civil service rules, she does not have the sole authority to exercise such sales, because, the coastal bus is a property of the state government and there are laid down rules to board serviceable and unserviceable items in Civil or Public Service.
It was also alleged that, Mrs Onwuka, who has been selling many of the school properties since she became the School Principal, took the generating set provided to supply the School of Nursing Agbor electricity to her house for personal use, taking cognizance of the fact that Mrs Onwuka allegedly took money by force from the Students Union Government (SUG) account through the Students Affairs Officer, during Mr. Omije Sylvanus tenure as Dean and when the Students body requested for their money, Onwuka threatened to deal severely with them.
This newspaper gathered that, most prayers from different stakeholders in the schools is that, the accounts of all the schools of Nursing in Delta State should be audited by the EFCC for clarification.
Meanwhile several calls made to Mrs. Onwuka through her 08187479*** to ascertain her side of the allegations by this newspaper proved futile at press time.
