Habila: When We Need More Engineers, Why Are Nurses Being Redeployed To The Ministry Of Works? -Aziken

During an interview on AIT on Friday, July 17, 2026, Emmanuel Aziken, a political analyst, questioned the reported redeployment of nurses to the Federal Ministry of Works while commenting on the controversy surrounding the death of Mary Habila.

Aziken said Habila and one of her colleagues were reportedly nurses or physiotherapists employed at David Umahi Federal University in Ebonyi State before their services were temporarily transferred to the Federal Ministry of Works. He argued that the reported redeployment raises questions about staffing priorities, particularly at a time when Nigeria is facing a shortage of healthcare professionals.

According to him, “This was a nurse or a physiotherapist along with her colleague who was working at the Dave Umahi Federal University in Ebonyi, whose employment was temporarily relocated to the Federal Ministry of Works. One is now asking, “What are the circumstances?” When we need more engineers, we need more surveyors in the Federal Ministry of Works. Why is it that it is nurses that are being redeployed when we are complaining about a shortage of nurses in the country?

Aziken said the reported transfer deserves clarification, arguing that the public should understand the rationale behind deploying medical personnel to a ministry whose primary responsibilities are engineering, road construction, and other infrastructure-related projects…....