We won’t sack our commissioner – Otu’s govt tells CNPP

The Cross River State Government has rejected the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP’s call for the removal of the Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, insisting that the administration of Governor Bassey Otu remains committed to transforming the state’s healthcare system.

Over the weekend, the CNPP had called on Governor Otu to sack the health commissioner after passing a vote of no confidence on him, alleging poor leadership, shortages of essential medicines, dilapidated infrastructure and inadequate healthcare personnel across government-owned hospitals and primary healthcare centres.

The opposition coalition said its position followed consultations with member political parties and reports received from communities across the state, urging the governor to appoint a new commissioner to reposition the health sector.

But in a statement signed by the Information Officer of the Ministry of Health, Kingsley Agim, the government described the opposition’s allegations as misleading and politically motivated, maintaining that the health sector has recorded measurable progress since the present administration assumed office in 2023.

The government faulted the CNPP’s criticism of the Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital in Calabar, noting that the facility was severely damaged during the 2020 #EndSARS violence and is undergoing phased rehabilitation.

According to the ministry, the opposition deliberately focused on sections still under renovation while ignoring completed interventions, including the fully rehabilitated and re-equipped Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory within the hospital complex.

The statement maintained that rebuilding a healthcare system neglected over the years requires phased implementation, careful planning and prudent management of available resources rather than what it described as politically motivated criticism.

The ministry stressed that the administration has continued to balance investments in healthcare with funding for education, road infrastructure, security, agriculture and other critical sectors despite prevailing economic challenges.

It challenged the CNPP to objectively compare the condition of health facilities inherited in 2023 with the interventions currently underway before making public pronouncements on the government’s performance.