Following the recent uproar in the media space that the State Epidemiologist Dr Aniekeme Uwah, a fine gentleman and a core professional in the medical field working in the Akwa Ibom State Civil Service has been sacked from service by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Dominic Ukpong, I immediately decided to get to the root of such information.
However, I got to know from an inside source in the Ministry who pleaded to remain anonymous that;
1. Dr Aniekeme Uwah is a Deputy Director in one of the departments in the Ministry of Health, and that he heads the Epidemiology Department in the Ministry.
2. Anyone can be transferred from one department to another, depending on the necessity of the time.
3. Dr Aniekeme Uwah was transferred to another department within the Ministry, and his second in command who is also a certified Epidemiologist made to head the department.
On the part of Dr Uwah banging calls on the Governor, I also got to understand that;
1. The Governor is being represented in any Ministry, Parastatal, or any public office by his Appointees ranging from Commissioners, Heads of Parastatals, Board Chairmen, SSAs, SAs, PAs, etc, and any act of insubordination is directed on the Governor.
2. There was a conversation between Dr Aniekeme Uwah and his Boss the Commissioner for Health, Dr Dominic Ukpong which during the conversation, Dr Uwah ended the call abruptly, and refused picking calls from his Boss the Commissioner for Health who was trying to review plans for the next day
3. Such act simply means a direct insult on the Governor of the State.
4. However if Dr Uwah banged the phone on the Commissioner, it simply means he did it on the Governor, being that the Governor is represented by the Commissioner in that Ministry.
It is my humble opinion that whoever is propagating that Dr Uwah is sacked should be immediately called to order as he or she has become an enemy of the society for praying for Dr Uwah’s sack.
