A former Chairman of the Cross River State Businessmen’s Forum, Chief (Dr.) Henry Onwe, has advised caution over a recent motion by the House of Representatives calling on the Federal Government to suspend the Chief Medical Director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme A. Ikpeme.
In a statement issued in Calabar on Friday, Onwe said the call for suspension was premature, arguing that the House of Representatives adopted the motion without first conducting a comprehensive investigation into the issues raised.
The motion, moved under matters of urgent public importance by the lawmaker representing Afikpo South/Afikpo North Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State, Mr. Iduma Igariwey, was linked to allegations surrounding internship placements at UCTH, including claims of ethnic bias against some medical graduates.
Onwe said public discourse on the matter has generated concern, particularly allegations that the CMD acted on ethnic considerations. He stressed that acting on such claims without due diligence could be counterproductive and unfair.
According to him, the National Assembly, given its status, ought to have carried out a thorough and impartial inquiry before urging any punitive action against the CMD.
“To arrive at a just and error-free decision, all parties involved should be given the opportunity to present their positions. This is the essence of equity, fair play and natural justice,” he said.
Onwe further questioned the credibility of the allegations, noting that there was no evidence that the affected house officers had any direct interaction with the CMD regarding their postings. He added that claims of meetings between the doctors and the CMD were being disputed, raising questions about who actually handled the postings.
He maintained that there was no record of Prof. Ikpeme making any statement—formal or informal—suggesting rejection of interns on ethnic or any other grounds, describing it as troubling that such serious accusations were being acted upon without firsthand engagement with the hospital’s management.
On constitutional grounds, Onwe referenced Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which enshrines the Federal Character Principle. He argued that any inquiry into the internship postings should have focused on key questions, including who authorized the postings, the criteria used, and why a disproportionate number of interns were reportedly posted to one institution from a particular region.
He said answers to these questions would have better guided the House in reaching a balanced decision and prevented similar controversies in the future.
The former forum chairman also faulted claims that the alleged actions of the CMD contributed to brain drain, noting that many doctors who completed housemanship in Nigeria still migrated abroad.
He argued that attributing the country’s medical workforce challenges to the CMD amounted to scapegoating, pointing out that doctors who leave Nigeria daily also trained within the country.
Onwe further criticized the House for allegedly relying heavily on media reports, without engaging professional bodies such as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) or the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in Calabar.
He disclosed that the doctors at the centre of the controversy had already resumed their housemanship training at UCTH before the motion calling for the CMD’s suspension was adopted.
Responding to claims of ethnic discrimination, Onwe said UCTH has historically maintained a culture of fairness and inclusiveness, adding that medical professionals of Igbo origin have consistently held senior positions in the hospital.
He cited the appointment of an Igbo woman as Head of Nursing Services in November 2025 as evidence that the current administration under Prof. Ikpeme does not practice tribal exclusion.
In his concluding remarks, Onwe called on lawmakers from Cross River State to intervene and ensure that justice prevails, urging the House of Representatives to revisit the motion and conduct a proper investigation into the matter.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to refrain from taking action against the CMD based solely on the motion, stressing the need for truth, dialogue and due process in handling sensitive national issues.
