… dismisses claims of verbal, physical assault
…Says dispute arose from internal meeting, not personal attack
….Warns against media trial, seeks impartial investigation
The Director of Nursing Services at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Mrs Abosede Fagoyinbo, has denied allegations that any nurse was verbally or physically assaulted within the hospital, describing reports to that effect as misleading and speculative.
Mrs Fagoyinbo made the clarification following claims of a verbal altercation and alleged assault involving her and a Chief Nursing Officer in the Nursing Services Department, Mrs Odusola.
Responding to allegations raised by the Elegant Nurses Forum and the Ogun State Nurses Association, the Director described the development as disheartening and unfortunate, insisting that no form of abuse occurred.
According to her, the incident in question stemmed from a routine internal meeting attended by senior nursing officers, including Mrs Odusola, and did not degenerate into any personal confrontation.
She explained that the matter was an administrative issue relating to alleged negligence of duty, which resulted in the issuance of a formal query to the Chief Nursing Officer and a subordinate officer.
Mrs Fagoyinbo alleged that rather than utilise established internal dispute resolution mechanisms available within the public service, Mrs Odusola chose to take the matter to social media, thereby escalating it unnecessarily.
“I categorically deny the allegations and state that I did not engage in any form of verbal altercation, nor did I assault Mrs Odusola as alleged,” she said.
She stressed her commitment to professionalism and discipline, noting that at no time was the image of the hospital brought into disrepute during the meeting.
“To the best of my knowledge, there was no incident that could have portrayed the hospital in a negative light. I am deeply concerned that an internal administrative issue has been taken to the public domain without due process,” she added.
Mrs Fagoyinbo further alleged that the accusations were borne out of malice and personal grievances, claiming that the social media reports were intended to divert attention from the administrative issues under review.
She called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter, urging the hospital management to allow the panel already constituted to complete its work and make its findings public.
The Director also appealed to the management to caution against what she described as media trial, blackmail and harassment, adding that security agencies should not be unnecessarily involved while internal processes are ongoing.
She, however, warned the Elegant Nurses Forum and the Ogun State Nurses Association to desist from making what she termed unfounded allegations against her, saying she would not hesitate to seek legal redress if the reports persist.
