ALUU Communities Picket UPTH Over Neglect, Unemployment

Worried by the neglect and marginalisation by the management of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) on employment quotas, three host communities in Aluu have picketed the UPTH Primary Health Centre facilities, an annex of the hospital located in Omuoko.
The aggrieved communities of Omuoko, Omuokiri and Omuwhechi also accused the Chief Medical Director, (CMD), Prof Henry Ogboma of neglecting the local content law on employment for the host communities and have no respect for the chiefs and elders of the communities.
Speaking to The Tide shortly after a peaceful protest at the Primary Health Centre, Omuoko, yesterday, Chairman Community Development CDC, Chief Collins Amadi said, the new CMD had decried the communities of their employment right and employed over 200 non indigenes of the state.
Chief Collins said, among those employed were graduates from neighbouring states and abandoned sons and daughters of Aluu and Rivers State to roam about for jobs.
According to him, “CMD do not take the plight of the host into consideration”.
The host communities, he said had contributed to the growth of the hospital by donating mass land and ensuring peace in the area.
While condemning the action of Prof. Ogboma, the communities called on the Federal Government to intervene and called the new CMD to order and engage the sons and daughters of Aluu.
He decried the poor economic situation in the country, and said that the action of the CMD is capable of breeding crisis, even as he had robbed the communities of their employment quotas.
The CDC chairman insisted that lack of adequate employment in the state was responsible for militancy, cultism and other related social vices in the region and appealed to the CMD to obey the local content law on host communities employment.
Also speaking, youth president, Omuokiri, Mr Worga Prince Akaha called on the management of UPTH to revert the employment process and engage the host communities.
He lamented that, over 300 graduates from the communities were roaming about without tangible employment.
Mr Worga appealed to governor Nyesom Wike to intervene into the UPTH and host communities matters concerning employment in order to avoid crisis in the area.

Chinedu Wosu