Crisis is gradually brewing at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), a federal tertiary health institution in Edo State, following the outcome of the interview and subsequent shortlisting of candidates for the position of Chief Medical Director (CMD).
Stakeholders, including a non-governmental organisation, under the umbrella of Esan Descendants Assembly (EDA), in a statement, yesterday, signed by Prof Oyaziwo Aluede and Ayo Binite, President and Secretary respectively, faulted the outcome of the interview, which apparently favoured an Edo North candidate as the most qualified.
The EDA, which parades itself as a non-partisan organisation aimed at protecting and projecting the Esan interest in all spheres, wants the process reviewed over alleged bias and financial compromise.
But an Edo North based non-governmental organisation, Edo North League expressed sadness that the group is pursuing ethnic sentiment as against meritocracy.
President of the Edo North League, Dr. Desmond Iyokpa in a counter statement made available to journalists in Benin City, said the best candidate has emerged through a competitive rigorous exams and interview.
It was learnt that all five candidates contesting the exalted position are staff of the hospital. Four of them, including the Acting CMD, Prof. Reuben Eifediyi, hail from Esan, while Dr. Mojeed Momoh, is the sole contestant from Edo North extraction.
The immediate past CMD of the hospital, Prof. Sylvanus Okogbenin, was also of the Esan extraction. The nine-member panel, which includes two resource persons, presented Momoh as top among other contestants during the interview process.
After it submitted its report, signed by all the members to the ministry, the formal announcement of the substantive CMD of the hospital became caught up in the web of the expiration of the tenure of the President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration.
The objection of the Esan body is a claim of alleged financial compromise of the panel adding that, “ It is unfortunate that the current interview has been marred by obvious bias and tendencies of financial compromises on the parts of some members of the panel. Only two members of the panel set the questions and also marked alone. They gave maximum scores to their candidate to put him ahead.
“We do not in anyway insist that the CMD must be an Esan person, but we insist that the best, based on merit and professional competence be appointed. We, therefore, urge you to call for a review of the processes for setting the questions and markings of the two subjects (Public Service Rules and General Knowledge) in order to ensure that due processes are followed. “
The body contended that whoever occupies the position of the CMD becomes paramount to them, “because of the strategic position the institution occupies in the development of Esanland and the nation.
“It is the only Federal Government industry in our Senatorial District. The institution has contributed in no small measure to the development of Esanland by giving opportunities for our people to be employed and also training medical doctors and health workers.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is therefore urged to restore sanity to the hospital by upholding competence and capacity over and above ethnicity and pronounces the substantive CMD based on merit as exemplified by the performance of the candidates.
