Massive fraud, million, extortion and sales of examination question papers to student nurses among other corrupt practices is said to have taken a center stage at the Delta state Schools of Nursing in Warri and Agbor.
Investigation by HardReporters, revealed that students who want to pass their examination in these schools of nursing are made to pay for examination question papers few days to the commencement of every examination at every session as well as bribes to fix marks.
Our correspondent reliably learned that the Director of Nursing in Delta State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Victoria Osanekwu, the Principal, School of Nursing, Warri, Mr. Sydney Enwelikwu and the Principal, School of Nursing, Agbor, Mrs. Tesy Onwuka work in connivance in defrauding the schools, carry out extortion and the sales of examination question papers to students.
Confiding in our correspondent, management staff of the schools of nursing, Warri and Agbor, said following the high level of sharp practices in the Nursing Schools in Delta state by Mrs. Osanekwu, Mr. Enwelikwu and Mrs. Onwuka, series of complaints were laid against the three officials and were sanctioned through transfer before a panel of investigation was set up by the state government.
“They sell examination question papers to student nurses as well as transferring of large sum of money from the schools accounts to their private accounts evening selling of properties belonging to the schools with the consent of the state government.” one of the staff said.
Corroborating the statements of the management staff of the schools of nursing, a senior director in the ministry of Health in Asaba confirmed that the Director of Nursing in the State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Victoria Osanekwu was transfered to the State Primary Healthcare following fraud and other corrupt and sharp practices but has found her way back to her position.
“Even the Principal, School of Nursing, Warri, Mr. Enwelikwu who was also transferred to School of Nursing Eku and demoted to a class room teacher is currently lobbying seriously to secure his position back in Warri just as his counterpart, the Director of Nursing in the State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Victoria Osanekwu has done. How can you swept under the carpet this kind of crime.? The accounts of all the schools of Nursing in the state should be audited by the EFCC.
“I am not permitted to speak on this issue but I can confirm to you that massive fraud and corrupt practices are going on in these schools of nursing in Warri, Eku and Agbor by these culprits. It’s very unfortunate and disheartened that the state government through the office of the head of service did not wait for the panel’s findings and recommendations before reinstating the culprits to their former offices. We view this as an encouragement to corruption.” the director lamented.
Also confiding in our correspondent, a senior lecturing at the School of Nursing, Agbor, the Principal runs the school like her private business as well as looting the school’s treasury without any atom of remorse and no one dares to challenge her.
“Just recently, the Principal, School of Nursing, Agbor, Mrs Tesy Onwuka, without following due process, solely sold the old Coastal bus belonging to the school without the consent of anybody. Going by the civil service rules, she does not have the sole authority to exercise such sales, because, the coastal bus is a property of the state government and there are laid down rules to board serviceable and unserviceable items in Civil or Public Service.
“Mrs Onwuka, has been selling many of the school properties since she became the School Principal, she singlehandedly took the generating set provided to supply the School of Nursing Agbor electricity to her house for personal use. Sometimes ago Mrs. Onwuka forcefully took money from the Students Union Government (SUG) account through the Students Affairs Officer, during Mr. Omije Sylvanus tenure as Dean and when the Students body requested for their money, she threatened to deal severely with them.
According to our source, Mrs. Onwuka, used one Mrs. Gloria Igumbor, who forcefully transfer herself from Primary Health Care Agency to the the Department of Nursing, Ministry of Health so as to connive with the Principal to perpetrate fraud and corrupt practices in the school of Nursing, Agbor.
“Mrs. Igumbor claimed she is the governor Okowa’s brother wife and instructed she Mrs. Onwuka to sell the school bus which up till date has not been accounted for. Meanwhile during the accreditation in the school, this same Mrs. Igumbor collected the sum of N3 million from Mr. Ossai Richard that she paid her personal N3 million to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria which was discovered to be all lies. Mrs. Igumbor’s stock in trade is using governor Okowa’s name in all manner of sharp practices.” the source disclosed.
Meanwhile, in a letter from the office of the Head of Service, addressed to the state commissioner for health, with reference number, HOS. 21/17/103, obtained by our correspondent, signed by the permanent secretary, F.O. Isume for the Head of Service, directed the commissioner to immediately deploy Mrs. Victoria Osanekwu, back to her former position, Director of Nursing in the State Ministry of Health without prejudice to the outcome of committee set up to investigate her.
All calls and messages put across to the commissioner for health and the Director of Nursing were not responded to while the principals of schools of nursing, Warri and Agbor declined comments as at the time of filing in this report.
