A pro-health civil society group, the Health Watch Initiative has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to yield to mounting pressure for the removal of the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) in Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) across the country, arguing that the CMDs are professionals, not politicians.


This was contained in a letter to the President dated January 9, 2017 and signed by the Executive Director of Health Watch Initiative, Hon. Bulawayo Suleiman, insisting that the clamour was instigated by greed and quest for office as part of a ploy to distract the Buhari administration.


According to the group, in the letter titled "Ignore the Sevent Force, CMDs Are Not Politicians But Professional Medical Doctors Enhancing the Health Sector of Your Administation", politically exposed persons were behind a petition urging Mr. President to fire CMDs appointed by previous administration.


The letter reads,"We bring greetings from the good people of Nigeria, the poor masses whom your administrative policy affect directly.


"Sir, since the beginning of your administration, there have being one or two distractions caused by greed and quest for public office as so many of your trusted cabinet members were blackmailed.

"To a large extent, you were forced to suspend and sack the former SGF Babachir Lawal who was one of the strongest pillars of your administration.


"Today, the maradona has changed the attention to statutory bodies with professional intelligence just to rubbish your perceived 2019 re-election bid. This is so, because, in a petition signed by one John Folarin Odusota date 8th January, 2018, alleged that, CMDs of Federal Medical Centres who were appointed by the Previous administration should be immediately sacked, claiming that they don't share in your vision. This is a blatant lie that must not be allowed to survive an hour.

"Your Excellency Sir, the petitioner failed to understand that, these crop of CMDs were appointed from the service of the same hospital where they work and know the terrain thus improving the services of the hospital.


"Most of them like the FMC Makurdi has worked so hard to improve the hospital which is evident on the improved services acknowledged by Benue community in recent time.


"It is believed that, some politically exposed persons are pushing through Odusota and his group of The Seventh Force to dissolve the working team of Federal Medical Centers across the country to fix themselves into the offices.


"You must not blackmail to earn public office as the underscore of the heads is generally unacceptable especially the use of FMC Makurdi as a case study.


"Your Excellency, we must not allow sentiment or politics to affect our critical sector such as health, as we recommend that, the said petition be ignored and warn politicians to stay away from professional services especially in the health sector" the group stated.