C'River Lawmakers, Monarchs, Others Protest Plot To Subsume Ogoja School of Nursing Under Obudu

... Say Such Move Amount To Miscarriage Of Justice

By Victor UDU

Cross River State lawmakers and some royal fathers have protested against alleged plot to subsume Ogoja School of Nursing and Midwifery under Obudu School of Midwifery, saying such attempts would be a miscarriage of justice. 

The lawmakers, in a motion sponsored by Hon.Rita Ayim (Ogoja) state constituency with Honourables Ogiji Idaga Martins (Yala II), Ashaka Pius Ashas (Obanliku), Bassey Bassey Effiong (Akapbuyo), Samuel Neji Abang (Ikom) and Mercy Akpama (Yakurr) as co-sponsors, stated that Ogoja deserves College of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences with its vast material and human resources.

On their part, the royal fathers, community leaders and town unions in Ogoja local government numbering 46 in a petition to the government and dated May 23, 2023 and titled “Protest against upstaging the a School of Nursing, Ogoja, as main campus of the proposed college of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences Ogoja,” warned against attempts by some officials in the ministry of health to humiliate Ogoja people and attempt to relegate the people to the background in the name of politics.

The School of Nursing, Ogoja was established in 1980 and was upgraded to College of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences by the Cross River State College of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences amended Law No.4 2022 passed by the House of Assembly and assented to by former Governor, Ben Ayade on October 26, 2022.

Colleges established by the Law are Nursing and Midwifery Sciences in Abi, Ogoja, Obudu and Calabar. The law establishing these institutions makes them autonomous in status, but according to some notable personalities in Ogoja, there are moves to subsume the School in Ogoja under Obudu as a campus.

Raising the motion on the floor of the House on alleged moves to subsume the school in Ogoja under Obudu as a campus, the lawmaker representing Ogoja state constituency, Rita Ayim stated that “the College of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences Ogoja be accredited and should exist independently as earlier approved by the former Governor Ayade and the Cross River 9th Assembly and should be announced as such by the incumbent Governor Otu.”

She also called on the governing council and principal officers to “commence immediate accreditation of National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes of the college by the National board for Technical Education (NBTE) with the human and material resources in Ogoja before the expiration of the timeline of December 2023.”

The lawmaker expressed dismay at the attitude of some health officials who are bent on circumventing the law and government directive with regards to ensuring smooth take off of the institution at Ogoja, warning that any move to further forcefully take away what belongs to her constituents would be resisted using the instrument of the law.

She disclosed that some health officials have allegedly carted away all the pieces of equipment from Ogoja Nursing School and rebranded them as belonging to Obudu just as they also took all the principal staff to Obudu to give them an advantage, describing such action as “a miscarriage of justice.”

In their petition signed by 46 Royal fathers and community leaders including HRH Peter Inyambe, clan head; HRH Lawrence Nkonjok, clan head, King Julius Adi Ayate, Ukpe Kingdom; King Clement Ijang Ashaga, Ndok Kingdom, King Ama Mgbeje, Ishiborr kingdom, Simeon Udey Igbaji, chairman, Nkim Union; Dr. G. S. Ikani Wogar, Francis Murhpy , Youth president; Felicia Uguge, women leader, Adeshi Ntaji, chairman, Nigerian Legion, Ogoja, and Mathew Ikani, chairman Elders Forum, the stakeholders kicked against any move to subsume Ogoja School of Nursing under Obudu proposed College of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences, Obudu, saying “it is an implied plan to humiliate the people of Ogoja.”

They maintained that Ogoja School of Nursing is one on the oldest in the zone as it was established 40 years ago and has quality staff to run its business alone a s a college, adding that it is strategically and equidistantly positioned to serve all the local government areas in the entire northern zone as well as catchment areas that would benefit from courses offered by the College.

The petition read in parts: “We acknowledge the prerogative of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) in the application of due diligence to give directives as well as best produce the envisaged outcome and services of the said College of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences. We state that the Ogoja School of Nursing offers the best facilities and opportunities for the achievement of the goals of the College of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences.

“The entire Ogoja people hereby request the NMCN to restore the College of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences, Ogoja to its pre-eminent status as earlier proposed.”

Equally raising the alarm , hundreds of Ogoja residents took to the streets in protest against what they termed "the unjust move."

The protesters coordinated by Mr. Ama Ntaji, who doubles as Acting Secretary, Nkim Development Union, NDU, maintained that it was unfair and unjust to subsume an institution of forty-three- year-old institution under Obudu, a new school lacking facilities, manpower and space for expansion, adding that Ogoja School of Nursing had existed in the past forty three years and has all the facilities that Obudu School of Nursing does not have.

Ntaji added that Obudu would not meet the requirements for accreditation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and that is why the move to subsume Ogoja under Obudu, stating that it would be counter-productive to decimate Ogoja in spite of its status as an old provincial headquarters.

He called on Governor Bassey Otu to intervene and stop the calculated move by some government officials to make the school in Ogoja a campus of Obudu to avoid community clashes and disunity among the northern brothers.

The Permanent Secretary ministry of health, Dr. Pauline Obute, in an interview with newsmen in her office denied that there is no college known as College of Nursing Ogoja, rather the regulatory body, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) had given approval to establish two extra colleges including College of Nursing, Calabar, and the College of Nursing Sciences, Obudu.

She added that the College of Nursing Sciences, Obudu would consist of School of Nursing Ogoja, School of Midwifery Monaiya, and School of Midwifery Obudu.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor of the state, Rt. Hon Peter Odey has been accused of influencing this move in favor of Obudu to satisfy the wish of his former boss, governor Ben. Ayade at the expense of his people for political considerations and this is not going down well with his people.

Accordingly ,Hon Odey has been called to retrace his steps to avoid grave consequences from the Ogoja people.