OPEN LETTER TO THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE

05 January, 2026

The Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare

Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako

Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare

Federal Secretariat Complex

Abuja

RE: ENSURING ENDURING PEACE THROUGH CONSTITUTIONAL COMPLIANCE —

A CALL FOR MINISTERIAL OVERSIGHT TO SAFEGUARD THE AMLSN RECONCILIATION PROCESS

 

Honourable Minister,

Commendation and Appreciation

We, the Patriotic Medical Laboratory Scientists, concerned members of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) write to express our profound gratitude to Your Honourable for the exemplary leadership, foresight, and timely intervention in addressing the protracted leadership crisis within our Association.

Your decision to constitute the 14-member Ministerial Reconciliation Committee, chaired by Dr Donald Ibe Ofili, Acting Registrar/CEO of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), demonstrated a commitment to restoring stability, unity, and good governance within AMLSN. The subsequent Strategic Stakeholders’ Meeting of 22nd November 2025, which adopted the implementation roadmap under the Doctrine of Necessity, has given hope to thousands of Medical Laboratory Scientists across Nigeria that peace and normalcy are within reach.

 

Purpose of This Communication

It is precisely because we appreciate Your esteemed Honourable’s efforts that we write this open letter. Our purpose is to bring to your esteemed attention certain contentious issues that, if not critically examined, could discredit the entire reconciliation process and jeopardise the enduring peace Your Excellency seeks to achieve.

The Committee’s resolutions clearly established that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and MLSCN shall exercise an oversight role in the implementation of the resolutions, including:

• Supervision of the electoral process
• Transition of leadership
• Promotion of reconciliation and constitutional compliance
• Activation of MLSCN’s disciplinary measures to curb unprofessional and unethical behaviours

It is within the framework of this joint oversight mandate that we respectfully draw your attention to matters requiring urgent scrutiny to ensure that the noble intentions behind this intervention are not undermined.

 

Matters of Concern Requiring Your Honourable’s Attention

1. The Unconstitutional Restriction of Presidential Candidacy

The provision restricting eligibility for the office of National President exclusively to two individuals lacks constitutional backing, as qualified members meeting constitutional requirements are eligible to contest for offices, including the National Presidency, during an electoral cycle. This electoral cycle cannot be one strictly for the two parties involved in the impasse that has grounded our professional association, if at all they are permitted to participate.

The AMLSN Constitution does not authorise any mechanism by which only two members to the exclusion of all other qualified members may contest for the highest office. Our profession’s national interest should not be reduced to a pacifying tool for individuals who, notably, did not even contest against each other in the flawed 2023 election.

Any qualified member meeting constitutional requirements should be permitted to participate in the forthcoming election. Anything less undermines democratic principles and sets a dangerous precedent.

We observe that the ANEC, led by the MLSCN Acting Registrar, has already demonstrated flexibility in its approach by opening the presidency position to all who qualify beyond the two parties in contention. As such, any far-reaching decision of exclusivity as recommended in the Committee’s report would clearly lack constitutional backing.

 

2. Unresolved Litigation Against the Association

The Ministerial Committee’s resolutions clearly stipulate that “evidence of litigation withdrawal shall be a prerequisite for contesting in the repeat election.” It is our understanding that both principal actors still have active, pending, or unresolved legal matters involving AMLSN.

It is fundamentally untenable for anyone to simultaneously claim leadership of an association, sue that same association, and seek re-election to the contested office. Any relaxation of this requirement would not only contradict the Committee’s own resolutions but would invite further litigation and perpetuate the crisis.

Claims of withdrawal from litigation must be supported by a properly filed and verifiable Notice of Discontinuance. Leadership cannot be built on private assurances or undisclosed documents. Members have a right to see evidence of compliance with the resolutions adopted in their name.

 

3. Electoral Framework: The Case for Electronic Voting

The current electoral guidelines adopt delegate voting, which disenfranchises a significant proportion of AMLSN members. The AMLSN Constitution (Schedule 2F) already provides for Electronic Voting, which ensures broader participation, eliminates delegate manipulation, and reduces post-election disputes.

Delegate voting is particularly problematic in this special electoral cycle because:

a) The election is not taking place during an AGM or Conference where chapters would have mobilised members;

b) The crisis has been a national issue affecting all members who have been actively involved across professional platforms and deserve to have their say through their vote;

c) Delegate selection itself can become a source of dispute, as concerns have already been raised about the selection of ANEC members.

Given MLSCN’s technical capacity and oversight role, an electronic voting framework supported by independent ICT systems would better reflect democratic principles, ensure broader participation, and significantly reduce post-election disputes.

 

4. Allegations of Bias in ANEC Composition

Serious concerns have been formally raised by one of the principal actors regarding the process of ANEC constitution, including alleged rejection of zonal nominees submitted through recognised leaderships and the selection of individuals perceived as partisan.

These concerns remain publicly unanswered, weakening trust in the peace process and the electoral machinery.

 

5. Questionable Branch Affiliation and Potential Constitutional Breach

Honourable Minister, it has come to our attention that one of the principal actors in this crisis—Dr. Casmir Ifeanyichukwu Cajetan has over time declared affiliation with two separate AMLSN branches:

• The University of Abuja (FCT Branch) under the Northern Zone, where he served as Branch Chairman; and
• Ebonyi State, claimed during the 2023 election cycle when the presidency was zoned to the South.

Article 14(ii) of the AMLSN Constitution 2018 (as amended) expressly prohibits dual branch membership:

“No member shall belong to more than one Branch/Chapter other than his State/Chapter of practice.”

To date, all official correspondence, court documents, and publicly accessible professional profiles including Google Scholar, ResearchGate, LinkedIn, and Facebook still list the University of Abuja as his place of employment. No resignation or retirement notice from the University of Abuja has been presented, and no formal employment documentation from Abakaliki has been publicly produced.

This raises two possibilities: either he holds two full-time public service appointments simultaneously (which constitutes gross misconduct under PSR 2021, Section 100402[r]), or the claim was false and strategic amounting to misrepresentation. Either scenario demands investigation, not clearance for candidacy.

 

6. The Risk of Repeating the Errors of 2020 and 2023

Honourable Minister, the dissolution of the 15th National Executive Officers and the call for fresh elections represent a tacit acknowledgement that fundamental errors occurred in the 2020 and 2023 electoral processes errors that plunged AMLSN into legal and constitutional chaos.

The ANECs constituted in 2020 and 2023 failed to act strictly within constitutional provisions. Their selective application of rules laid the foundation for the current impasse. Repeating these mistakes under any guise will only deepen the crisis.

If these same errors are repeated in 2026, Your Honourable’s laudable intervention will have been in vain. Peace cannot be imposed through procedural imbalance and unconstitutionality.

 

7. Clarity on the Use of the Words “Directive” and “Oversight”

While we sincerely appreciate Your Excellency’s constructive role, we respectfully seek clarity regarding the use of the words “directive” and “oversight.”

AMLSN is a professional association and pressure group, not a parastatal or agency under the Ministry. By law and established practice, the Honourable Minister does not issue directives to AMLSN in the same manner applicable to government agencies.

Under the MLSCN Act, AMLSN is not subject to ministerial or MLSCN oversight in its internal governance. Rather, AMLSN traditionally exercises professional and stakeholder oversight over the regulatory space occupied by MLSCN.

Our concern is not adversarial but rooted in preserving constitutional order, statutory boundaries, and institutional independence.

 

Our Humble Appeal

In light of the foregoing, we humbly appeal to Your Honourable to:

• Direct MLSCN/ANEC to thoroughly verify all candidates’ branch affiliation, employment status, and constitutional eligibility.
• Enforce documentary evidence of litigation withdrawal as a prerequisite for candidacy.
• Uphold the constitutionality of open presidential candidacy to all qualified members.
• Consider adopting electronic voting as constitutionally provided.
• Request a transparent response from ANEC regarding allegations of bias.
• Refer allegations of dual employment or misrepresentation to the appropriate disciplinary bodies.

 

Additional Requests to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare

• Establishment of a Department of Medical Laboratory Services in line with the 2022 National Medical Laboratory Policy.
• Federal directive on employment of Medical Laboratory Scientists across all 774 LGAs.
• Centralised and structured internship placement framework.
• Improved remuneration and conditions of service to curb brain drain and industrial unrest.

These requests are policy-driven, evidence-based, and in the national interest.

 

Conclusion

Honourable Minister, AMLSN is governed by law and ethics, not convenience or desperation. We cannot build enduring peace on a faulty constitutional foundation. Only justice, transparency, and constitutional obedience will guarantee stability.

We trust that Your Honourable will exercise the oversight mandate to ensure that this reconciliation process succeeds without repeating past errors.

Please accept, Your Honourable , the assurances of our highest regards.

 

Respectfully submitted,

PATRIOTIC MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTISTS

(For Constitutional Compliance and Institutional Integrity)

CC:

The Acting Registrar/CEO, MLSCN, Abuja

The Director, Medical Laboratory Services, FMoH, Abuja

All State Chairmen, AMLSN

All Nigerian Medical Laboratory Scientists