UCTH CMD: Group petitions Buhari, says central should produce Agan's successor

Youths under the aegis of Northern Cross River Youths Forum (NCRYF) have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari insisting that the Central Senatorial District of Cross River should produce the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) next Chief Medical Director.

The current CMD, Prof. Thomas Agan is from the northern senatorial district of the state.

The group during a press briefing in Calabar said that their position was informed by the power rotation agreement which has always been used in making the appointment.

Chairman of the group, Comrade Egere Nicholas added that after a critical review of all the candidates in the race, the group was throwing it weight behind  Prof. Edet Ikpi who is one of the persons nominated by the board to the President for the appointment.

The group maintained that although other aspirants in the race were eminently qualified for the job but for equity and justice which are the hallmark of every democratic process, they should wait for their time.

Egere who insisted that as stakeholders in the state, the group was acting to prevent possible anarchy which may befall the hospital should the position be hijacked by another senatorial district added that for the sake of peace, it is only fair that the position be given to the central  after the Southern and Northern zones of the state have had their turns.

"This briefing is basically to express and establish the position of the Youths of Northern Cross River over the very important issue of appointment of Chief Medical Director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.

The peace and progress of Cross River State is built on a tripartite stand of respect, fairness and justice and it is on this  premise that strategic positions in the state are rotated among the three senatorial districts".

The group noted that other parts of the state have benefited from the position and the northern part of the state which is a present beneficiary of the  process cannot sit down and watch the process be destroyed when it was the same process that enabled them benefit from the position ahead of the more connected and powerful zones.

Egere said that since 1984, "from the south, we had  Professors. E. B Attah, (1984-85); Itam H. Itam (1985-88); Iwatt (1988-1992); Larry Bassey (1993-1994) and Etetim Asuquo (2002-2010).

From the Central was Prof. Roland Ndoma Egba (1994-2002) while the north has Prof Thomas Agan (2011-219).

"Our brother and son Gov. Ben Ayade is governor today because the whole state agreed that it was the turn of the north to produce governor, our brother too the Vice Chancellor of Unical is benefitting from that same zoning arrangement, even the present CMD is from our zone and he is there because all Cross Riverians agreed that it was the turn of the north to hold the position. We therefore cannot sit down and allow anybody jettison a process we have benefited so much from.

It would be recalled that a few days ago, another group of concerned Cross Riverians from the Southern senatorial zone also stood for fairness, justice and equity by demanding that the CMD position be given to the Central".