Medical Laboratory and Scientists Association refutes appointment approval of Dr. Babjide Salako as Chairman made by President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that President Tinubu recently approved some persons for appointment and reappointment of Board Chairperson and Chief Executive Officers in key sub-commissions of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which saw the emergence of Dr. Babajide Salako.
In a news conference on Monday in Abuja, the association’s president, Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, claimed that Salako’s appointment flagrantly broke the Act that established the council.
Ifeanyi stated that based on the criteria for appointment outlined on the councils Act Section 3 subsection 1(a) of the Act CAP (M25) LFN 2004, Dr. Salako doesn’t qualify for the position.
The Act outrightly states that the council’s chairman must be a “qualified Fellow of the council with five years’ post-qualification experience,” and the appointment should be made by the president based on the minister’s recommendation from a list of fellows submitted by the council.
Expressing his disapproval, ifeanyi mentioned that Salako doesn’t meet any of the criteria mentioned in section 3 of the councils Act.
He implored President Bola Tinubu to re-evaluate the appointment and propose a suitable candidate that satisfies all legal standards.
The National Assembly was urged to look into Dr. Salako’s selection to the position of chairman of the MLSCN governing board by the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists.
Ifeanyi emphasized that such a flagrant disobedience of the law by powerful figures from government jeopardizes the legislative process and creates a risky precedence.
Ifeanyi stated, “The message conveyed by the purported appointment is simply that laws made by the legislature and duly signed by the president can be disobeyed by highly placed government officials only to achieve private goals.”
The association made a formal request to President Bola Tinubu to promptly fix the oversight by withdrawing Dr. Salako’s appointment and guaranteeing that the law is strictly followed when choosing a new candidate for the important role.
