Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse
The Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Muhammadu Sunusi, has pleaded with the Governor Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State to remove the present Director in charge of school of health technology Jahun over alleged ruining of the institution.
The Emir, who made the plea, on Thursday, at a sensitisation training for female heath students at the Manpower Development Institute, Dutse to discuss issues towards bridging human resources gap and dearth of female health workers in Jigawa rural communities.
Emir Sunusi, who lamented on how the school had degenerated from its former standard, said former managers of the school had done better that what is found today since his appointment.
The Emir also warned against politicising of public health by appointing incompetent people to manage the affairs of school that train health workers in the state.
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Said he, “We’re begging you please to keep politics aside and appoint the right people; because the issue of health is a sensitive one that deserves the right people irrespective of where someone comes from, the emir said.
A thunderous applause from participants met the emirs submission while the governor was keenly nodding his head in seeming approval of the comments from the traditional ruler.
He also called on the government to appoint a substantive director for school of Nursing Birnin Kudu and Hadejia instead of the one official overseeing both schools at an acting capacity.
The school, located at Jahun Local Government Area of the state, has constantly been shrouded in controversial circumstances since the appointment of the director which was netted with staunch resistance from people of the state.
The embattled Mr. Adamu, who was summoned and appeared before the House committee, was accused of being favoured by a former Head of Service in the state that allegedly violated the public service rules in his appointment earlier as Sole Administrator despite reaching retirement.
According to findings, it was revealed that the House Committee had, in its investigation, found that the contentious approval letter of appointment as the Sole Administrator of the school was issued by the Head of Service via letter No. ESM/POL/S/7/S.2/V.I/62 dated November 19, 2018, in which the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) was requested to issue the appointee an appointment letter.
The appointment letter was said to have been issued by the office of the SSG via a letter No. SSG/POL/S/E/S.I/V.VIII/1327 dated November 28, 2018 for an unspecified term in office.
The House ad-hoc committee, chaired by the member representing Kazaure, Bala Hamza and five other members, invited the secretary to the State Government, the state Head of Service and commissioner Ministry of Health also invited the Petitioners’ who came in their droves.
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At that sitting, the House committee pointed out that the appointment of Mr Adamu is null and void because it violates rules 020401 and 020601 of the Public Service Rules, 2006 which only recognises Contract and Acting Appointments respectively but no provision was made for Sole Administrator throughout the rules.
They also made reference with the Community and Health Practitioners Act, CAP, C. 19 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which established the Community and Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria which is the regulatory body of the school and in all correspondences from the Board to the school stated that: the only officers recognised to lead a school or college of Health Technology under the supervision of the Board are Principal for a school of Health Technology and Provost for a college of Health Technology.
Their argument at that time was that the term, Sole Administrator, is not popular in a democracy as it is historically employed during the military era to manage a crisis situation.
The House committee had also observed that there was undue interference in the running of the affairs of the school from some unauthorised quarters.