By Sunday Ani
A lecturer in the Department of Radiography, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Anambra State, Prof Anthony Ugwu, has petitioned the Minister of Health over what he called serial abuse of office by the Registrar of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN), Prof Mark Okeji.
In a letter dated February 20 to the health minister and copied the Minister for Education, the Senate President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Chief of staff to the President, Prof Ugwu is also accusing Prof Okeji of defamation of his character.
He noted that Prof Okeji suspended him for taking the Board to court over its move to admit technicians as members of Radiographers’ association; a development he said was contrary to the Radiographer’s Act. He also alleged that the Registrar seized his 2023 practice license for summoning the courage to challenge his suspension.
Part of the letter read: “May l recall that after I filed a suit against the RRBN for bringing technicians into the profession contrary to the Radiographer’s Act, and the subsequent Appeal Court ruling on the matter, the RRBN suspended me on account of what the Board called professional misconduct. Based on my conviction that what the Board called professional misconduct was not in accordance with the Act (section 23), l filed a suit against the suspension in the Federal High Court, Enugu.
“Irrespective of the fact that section 26 of the Act made it clear that the status quo should be maintained when issues of suspension are pending in court, Prof. Okeji wrote a petition against me to my institution, even when the parties had already joined issues in court. This petition forwarded in February 2023, not only violated Section 26 of the Radiographer’s Act and the University Autonomy Act, but also painted me in a bad light before the management of my institution. My 2023 practice license has also been seized by the registrar.”
Prof Ugwu also alleged that Prof Okeji on February 5 and 6, said he was not a member of radiographers before the University of Benin management, where he is a visiting professor and other radiographers in the team.
“On February 5 and 6, this year while on professional resource verification in the University of Benin, where l am a visiting professor, Prof Okeji declared that l am not a member of the profession before the management of the university and other radiographers in the team.
“This has caused so much damage to my person as patients’ flow has drastically reduced in my diagnostic centre since after the unfortunate declaration.
“Some universities that l applied for sabbatical leave have also not replied, and it is possibly because of the blackmail.
“However, his outburst is equally an abuse of office and a violation of both the Radiographer’s Act and the University Autonomy Act. The University Autonomy Act violation is more acute, as no university is administratively under any regulatory parastatal, and the RRBN practice license is for practice and not for teaching,” he stated.
He is, therefore, the Minister to suspend the Registrar and investigate the activities of the Board under his leadership. “In view of this, and in line with the code of conduct rules in public service, l demand an immediate suspension of Prof Okeji and full scale investigation of the activities of the Board under his leadership,” he submitted.