The Akwa Ibom Nigeria Medical Association has raised an alarm that the Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Health doubling as the Incident Manager is contrary to the stand of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Dr. Dominic Ukpong is the Commissioner for Health as well as the Incident Manager of Akwa Ibom State COVID-19 Incident Management Committee.
Ekem Emmanuel John, the state Public Relations Officer for NMA, who dropped the bombshell during an interview in Inspiration 105 FM, Uyo on Saturday, said Dr. Ukpong is the only Health Commissioner in the country to be appointed as the Incident Manager of the pandemic.
“When NCDC officials visited the state recently, they frowned at this appointment. He is combining as commissioner for Health and the state Incident Manager. This is against the World Health Organisation’s stand that a politician cannot be the head of a technical committee. It is only in Akwa Ibom State that this is happening,” John, a medical doctor, lamented.
“He is in charge of the entire responses. No other person has the right to tell the governor what is happening concerning the pandemic in the state. He is misleading the governor. The Commissioner for Health wants to be all in all, highhanded, and extremely vindictive.
John accused the Health Commissioner of not being transparent with the funds released by the state government for the coronavirus pandemic fight in the state.
On the allegation that Uwah hung a telephone on Governor Udom Emmanuel, the NMA spokesperson dismissed it as a lie from the pit of Hell sponsored by an army of young men against a fellow young person and his profession.
He stated, “There is a Whatsapp group created by Essien Ndueso and Aniekeme Finbarr, S/As to the Governor where they hire their e-media boys to attack anyone that holds a contrary view.”
