A call has gone to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rise to the challenge posed by fresh industrial action by the Medical Doctors especially the Resident Doctors who constitute large percentage of the medical doctors in Government Hospitals across the Country.
The Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria made the call in a Press Statement issued today. The Statement signed by its National Coordinator of the Group Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi stated that the Nation is looking forward to President Ahmed Tinubu to rule differently by not delaying actions on what bothers on welfare of Nigerians – pointing out that strike action by the Resident Doctors billed to commence coming Wednesday 9th August portend serious dangers to health-care-delivery system in Nigeria.
The Group noted with regret that the last Administration instead of addressing holistically the issues brought forward by the Doctors, it was bragging with its powers to enforce the law of ‘No work, no pay’ policy which did not work and cannot work, it stated. MMWG called on the Federal Government to stop the planned Wednesday strike from happening by convening urgently meaningful dialogue and the outcome of the meeting should be urgently and holistically implemented.
The National-Coordinator of the Group, who is a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria noted in the Statement with serious concern that ‘brain-drain’ had forced most competent, efficient and capable medical personnels out of the Country and has persisted because of wrong approach used by the last Administration in solving problems – pointing out that statistics has revealed that over 110,000 (One hundred and Ten Thousand) Nigerian Medical Doctors of varying specialist fields are now working in diaspora compared to only 25,000 (Twenty-Five Thousand) currently serving in the Country.
The Group queried; ‘How could 25,000 Doctors serve the Nation of 240 million People?
While commending President Tinubu on the responsible manner he addressed in the interim the protest of NLC and TUC recently, the Group reminded the Federal Government that the new Administration under the RENEWED HOPE AGENDA promised ‘AN END TO ALL FORMS OF STRIKES’. This is the right time to effect the implementation of the promise as a progressive Administration, it said.
MINIMUM WAGE/MINIMUM PENSION
On the review of minimum wage occasioned by the rise in pump-price of petrol, the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria said this must go pari-passu with increase in monthly pensions earned by Senior Citizens of Nigeria, adding that most State Governments failed to abide by the Law that makes pension payments renewed every 5 years – thereby making some monthly pension payments laughable and ridiculous.
The Group maintained that all Minimum Wages Review that does not carry along Federal, State and LG Pensioners along is meaningless as pensioners patronize the same market with others for foodstuff, drugs, transportation, habitat e t c.
It appealed to President Ahmed Tinubu to review the process of Nation’s wealth distribution upon the current hardship facing the Nation, pointing-out that apart from review of salaries and pensions, large percentage of money accruing from withdrawal of subsidy need be ploughed into – resuscitating the moribund Nation’s Refineries, Regular and holistic turn-around maintenance of the Refineries, transformation to CNG as source of energy and resuscitation of public and private Industries to create jobs and stimulate the economy. This will enhance the Nation’s capacity to export processed goods and boost the value of our currency.; the Group concluded.
