Society wants federal character in radiographers’ board

Medical radiographers and radiation scientists under the aegis of the Medical Imaging Society of Nigeria, (MISON) have called on the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole to reshuffle the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN) to reflect the federal character principle.

They made the call in a petition against the board chairman of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN) Mr Abdul Bakare, dated 28th July and addressed to the minister.

The association in the petition which was signed by their lawyer, Barrister Godwin Diugwu of Godwin Diugwu of & Associates, urged the minister to reflect the federal character by having every geo-political zone equally represented in the board, saying the present system favours a particular zone of the country.

They said many things had allegedly gone wrong since Mr Abdul Bakare assumed office as the chairman of the board.

They accused Bakare of abuse of office, breach of public service rules, disregard for Radiographers (Registration) Act. CAP R1 2004, usurpation of duty and unethical and unlawful conduct.

According to them, the chairman has been acting without the board members of RRBN thereby taking unilateral decision, and also writes to the Ministry of Health directly which contravenes Section 7 of the (Radiographers) Act.

“The Chairman’s self seeking requisition to minister without board’s decision on auditing and administrative clean up. This also is a contravention of the extant rules of the board as only the Registrar is saddled with the responsibility to so act and not as have been done by the chairman of the board,” they said in the petition.

While calling on the minister to set up an investigative panel to look into the allegations, they urged him to suspend Bakare immediately inorder not to temper with the investigation.

MISON also said it would take legal actions if its demands were not satisfactorily addressed within 30 days.

When contacted, chairman of the board of Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN) Mr Abdul Bakare said that all the allegations against him were unfounded adding that whoever was writing petitions should continue but whenever he was called upon, he would respond to them.

He also said that he had not received the petition in question saying that , you cannot write a petition without copying the person in question.