Exclusive Investigation: Odoriferous Corruption At The School Of Nursing, Agbor

Located just beside the Federal Prison and opposite the Agbor Division Office of the Nigeria Police Force, the putrid stench of corruption oozes out from the Delta State School of Nursing, Agbor. The immaculate white dresses adorned by both staff and students of the school, overlays the stains or corruption and financial mismanagement being perpetrated, and for which arguably, the school has failed to get the necessary accreditation.

The elders were correct and wise when they said that the spirit that kills the Iroko lives within the Iroko.

After a painstaking investigation by our team which included visits to the school, perusal of relevant documents as well as interview with staff and students of the school, it was revealed that the crave for personal pleasure and pecuniary gains by the Principal of the School, Mrs. Tessy Onwuka, has taken the school backwards despite the modest efforts of the state government and public spirited individuals.

The students at the school hostel are left in darkness at night owing to the fact that the generator meant for the hostel was taken away by the Principal to her personal apartment. It was gathered that the hostel generator and other equipment confiscated and converted to the personal use of the Principal were among the items procured by the Delta State Government to facilitate the accreditation of the courses being run by the school.

Inside sources revealed that, when the Registrar of the Nigeria Nursing Council paid an unscheduled inspection visit to the school, the Principal could not explain the whereabouts of the Hostel’s generator and could only deceive the Registrar that the generator was at the mechanic.

Our findings also revealed that in the year 1994, a Toyota Coaster Bus was donated by Mr. Jim Ovia, the Chairman of Zenith Bank PLC to the school. This same bus was recently sold by the school principal for a paltry sum of N500,000. It was also learnt that the sale was to a proxy arranged by the school driver, Mr. Eboigbe Godspower. As at the time of this report, the proceeds from the sale of the bus has not been accounted for. Meanwhile, the bus is being used as a school shuttle bus in Lagos.

In the same vein, the Volvo saloon car hitherto used as the official car for past principals of the school was sold by the school principal for N70,000 also to a proxy based in Agbor.

Investigation also revealed that Mrs. Tessy Onwuka is not alone in her ignoble actions. There is the role of a certain Mrs Gloria Igumbor, of the Commissioner’s Office, Ministry of Health, Asaba whose function is at best, nebulous. Mrs. Igumbor it was discovered claims to be Governor Okowa’s sister and on one occasion, during the visit of the accreditation team, she cornered the sum of N3 Million for herself whilst dropping off the name of Governor Okowa.

In the meantime, efforts to get the reaction of Mrs. Tessy Onwuka and Mrs. Igumbor to these findings were not fruitful and at Press time

It is worthy to note that the Coaster bus and the Volvo car unilaterally sold by the Principal are government property which can only be disposed of in accordance with the extant Civil Service and Procurement Rules. Same not being the personal property of the principal cannot be sold by her to her friends at giveaway price. The Honourable Commissioner for Health must rein in the school Principal before she plunges the school into an avoidable crisis. This is also necessary to ensure that the intervention of the state government yields the desired fruits of having the programs of the school, accredited.

Mrs. Onwuka and her comrades-in-arms by her actions, certainly means no good to the State School of Nursing, Agbor. This can only be explained by the fact that she is not a Deltan but from Ogbakiri in Rivers State and married to an Anambra state husband. She does not feel the pain and frustration of students and graduands of the school who several years their graduation are unable to become Registered Nurses due to the non-accreditation of the school, to which Mrs. Onwuka has generously contributed.

All rights reserved Asaba Metro Investigation Team.  Permission to use this publication is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to  ASABA METRO as the source.