HMPSN bans Nigerian diver over alleged forgery of medical certificates

The Hyperbaric Medical Practitioners Society of Nigeria (HMPSN) has revealed that a diver and member of the National Association of Professional Divers (NAPROD), Comrade Jason Kuru has been banned for a year over allegations of forgery of medical certificates.

This is even as the nations Chief Inspector of Diving, Comrade Julius Ugwala accused Comrade Kuru of blackmail over failure to secure a contract with a diving firm, Hydrodive Nigeria Limited.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the media team of Nigeria’s chief inspector of diving, International Oil Companies (IOC’s) were assured of severe consequences for Nigerian divers involved in cases of forgery.

According to the statement, “amid the social media blackmail propagated by a diver, Comrade Jason Kuru, who has accused Nigeria’s Chief inspector of Diving, Comrade Julius Ugwala of denying him an endorsement, findings have revealed that Jason forged his medical records.

“Jason Kuru, had approached the Chief Diving Inspector after futile attempts to secure a job with his fake certificates and the Inspector had pulled strings for Jason only to discover that the unemployed diver forged the medical certificate which he forwarded to would-be employers, who upon verification found it to be false.

“Upon this shocking discovery, the Chief Diving Inspector had personally advised Kuru covertly to get the right medical reports but Kuru turned around to blackmail Ugwala, accusing him of shutting his path to employment.

“We feel sorry for the present condition of our Comrade Jason Kuru. We understand such a situation will be of concern to our comrade and us. However, we recommend our comrade to talk less.

“The Diving Governing Board will be disappointed that a Nigerian Diver is involved in the forgery of the medical certificate from a recognized hospital and attempted to trick a Diving contractor- Hydrodive Nig Limited. If not for effective internal verification measures by the diving company in line with the Diving at Work Regulation, 2018, Jason Kuru would have gotten into the field with forged Medical certificate posing critical safety/ operational challenge to the team and project.”

The Chief Diving Inspector further posited that as a member of the National Association of Professional Divers (NAPROD), he has distanced himself from such criminal action and apologized on behalf of Nigerian divers.

He also called for NAPROD to take matters of forgery and unprofessional conduct seriously by ensuring its internal process allows for the disciplining of erring parties.

“We assure International Oil Companies (IOCs) that the Chief Inspector of Diving will not hesitate to take it further through legitimate means to ensure the individual is held accountable for his actions.

“We call on comrades to repudiate such action to kick-start the change required in the sector. If truly we want to succeed, we should be ready to discipline ourselves.

“If a diver can get involved in a serious crime of such magnitude, how do we expect multinationals and indigenous companies to have respect for us if we keep silent? I would urge all diving personnel working on the Nigerian territorial waters to stop getting involved in actions that have the capacity to dent the image of Nigeria and its divers,” Ugwala explained.

He, however, assured that the Diving Advisory Board remains committed to stipulated safety standards, while he sent kudos to Hyperbaric Doctors for giving the needed support to ensure the safe diving sector in the nation.

In a related development, the President of the Hyperbaric Medical Practitioners Society of Nigeria (HMPSN), Dr Kayode Ogunleye who confirmed the forgery incident said that Jason Kuru had been banned for a year for his misconduct.

“We learnt that Kuru has a medical condition affecting both eyes that had worsened over years and for that was issued a report as being unfit which he altered and presented to Hydrodive, but the company upon its verification found it to be false,” Dr Ogunleye stated