The Acting Provost of the Imo State College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Orlu, Rev. Sister Grace Agu, has been accused of abuse of public service procedures, certificate forgery and victimisation.
Some members of staff, who spoke with our correspondent on Monday, accused the acting provost of plotting to cause instability on the campus by instigating some students to harass the ousted Provost, Princess Ngozi Duru, who was said to have locked the campus gate against her when she (Duru) visited the institution.
One of them, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, also alleged that Agu recently announced the cancellation of the confirmation of appointment letters issued by the Duru administration for all workers.
“This is just because the acting provost, for disciplinary reasons, was not among those whose appointments were confirmed. There is also the question of the qualification that earned Agu the appointment as the acting provost while still on probation as an employee of the institution,” said the source.
However, Agu has maintained that the accusations were malicious, and aimed at dragging her image in the mud. She said, “Those who are peddling the rumour are enemies of progress. I came on board on the directive of the Imo State Government to correct the anomalies bedevilling the institution. I was not in any way connected with the dismissal of Duru as the Provost. They are not happy because they wanted the irregularities for which I was appointed to correct to continue, not knowing that my administration will not be business as usual.
“I am applying both my wealth of academic experience and training to put things right on campus. It is very unfortunate and disheartening. However, I am not deterred by that, but I am focused on achieving the essence for which Governor Rochas Okorocha established the institution.”
Agu also dismissed the rumour of certificate forgery, adding that she is a registered nurse and midwife. She said, “I have a B.Sc and MSc in Nursing Sciences.
Currently, I am running my Ph.D in the same discipline at the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. The state government, having perused my resume saw that I am qualified to pilot the affairs of the institution to a greater height, hence my appointment.” In the same development, it was also alleged that the Aguled administration, during a two-day public holiday, came up with a committee allegedly on the orders of the state government in order to indict some staff of the institution.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr. Akwari Onwukwe, stated that the acting provost was not involved in the removal of Duru.
He contended that as of the time Duru was removed from office, Agu was the Head of the Department of Nursing Sciences of the institution.
Akwari said, “Ngozi Duru was removed by the state government that employed her. Agu never appointed Duru as the provost, so she could not have removed her.
Governor Okorocha, who established the institution, is a detribalised Nigerian. He appoints any person he deems fit into any office provided the person in question is a Nigerian.”
When contacted on the telephone, the Principal Secretary to Governor Okorocha, Dr. Pascal Obi stated that the state government, in August 2012, appointed Duru as the acting provost and subsequently confirmed her as first substantive Provost of the institution.
He said, “Again, sometime in March 2017, Duru was removed by the government following her inability to manage the two campuses of the institution well. The Imo State Government in its wisdom decided to do that because both the College of Health and Management Sciences and College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Amaigbo and Orlu, respectively, were not managed well by Duru.”
“For instance, it was during the administration of Duru as the provost that sensitive health departments, such as the Community Health Department and the Environmental Health Department, lost their professional accreditation.”
By: Gibson Achonu, Owerri
The Punch News
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