By Simon Idongesit
A group known as Edo North League (ENL), a sociocultural group has distanced itself from a post which emerged online tagged ” Group fumes over ethnic colouration in selection of CMD in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital “.
The statement which was allegedly made by one Dr. Desmond Iyokpa, who claimed to be the group’s President, was later discovered not to be true. Members of the sociocultural group who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said ” We were surprised when we saw such post online. When we called Dr. Desmond Iyokpa, the only thing he was able to tell us was that someone paid him to support one of the Candidates contesting the position from Auchi”, we do not support lies or falsehood, as our organisation does not do partisan Politics “.
The source further spoke ” Desmond Iyokpa did not go to Benin, neither was he in Benin the day the news was posted, so I wonder why they said he was taking from Benin, it is clear someone from Edo North extraction wants to fool everyone”.
When our correspondent asked the anonymous source whom he thought could be so desperate as to lie using the association’s name, he said ” I do not want to quote anyone, but since the post was aimed at condemning Esan Aspirants, then it is definitely coming from one Source, that is Dr. Mojeed Momoh, a staff of Irrua Hospital “.
One of the Members again said ” There is nothing ethnic here, we think it is about competence and not tribe, let the most qualified among them get the Position, let nobody drag ethnicity into this, that card is used only by desperate people, we distance ourselves from it, we are not with our president on this one”
When our correspondent visited Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital today 13th July at about 11:43am, we tried to reach out to Dr. Mojeed Momoh, one of the aspirants contesting for the Position of CMD in the Hospital. However, when we called at his office, we were told he had not been to work throughout the week and the weeks before. Our correspondent also spoke to a very senior Nurse who craved for anonymity. She said ” I have not seen him for almost two months, he doesn’t come to work. I can tell you that almost every staff in this Hospital do not know him, he lives in Benin. ” , the Nurse said.
Our correspondent also gathered from a highly placed source that he works somewhere else, but promised to give us the information once he confirms it within 24hours.
When our source visited the office of the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), he was not on seat, and we were told he left for Abuja and it appears he is no longer committed to his Job in the Hospital”
Our Correspondent finally visited the office of the Acting CMD, Prof. Reuben Agbons Eifediyi. We met a busy office, as we waited for our turn to see him. We finally did and when we asked him how the process of appointment into the office of Chief Medical Director was going, he said ” Thank you gentlemen, but I would rather not comment on this, the process is still ongoing, and the President and Commander in Chief will make his choice at the end of everything through a transparent process “.
Simon Idongesit,
reporting live from Irrua Specialist
Teaching Hospital , Irrua.