"Consider yourself sacked" - El Rufai to striking health workers

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai has warned health workers in the state on strike against industrial action. He made it clear that any worker who fails to report for duty should consider himself/herself sacked.

The threat came after the seven-day strike called by the health workers in the state for the deductions carried out by the government on their salaries.

However, El Rufai vowed to keep the health facilities running and to protect staff members willing to provide services to the public. In his official response to the notice of strike issued by the health workers, said that he would not succumb to blackmail.

A statement signed his by Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye, warned:

“Government rejects the strike threat and will regard persons who fail to show up at their assigned places of work as having forfeited their employment. Every health worker that is willing to work is required to sign the register at the Ministry of Health and the health institutions to which they are deployed.”

"Doctors embarking on strike should kiss their jobs goodbye" – El Rufai

Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai has warned doctors threatening to embark on a strike action that they may just be bidding their jobs farewell.

The doctors are asking the Kaduna state government to honour an agreement on salary adjustments, among other matters.

“The government rejects the strike threat and will regard persons who fail to show up at their assigned places of work as having forfeited their employment,” El-Rufai said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye.

Every health worker that is willing to work is required to sign the register at the Ministry of Health and the health institutions to which they are deployed.

The ministry of health has the mandate of the government to ensure that residents of Kaduna state are not deprived of public health services.

Every effort will be made to ensure that health facilities keep functioning, staffed by willing workers who will be guaranteed free and safe access to health facilities.”

The governor also warned that attempts to prevent other healthcare professionals from doing their jobs will be deemed criminal.

“Those who are not willing to work are strongly warned against criminal actions such as attempts to impede access to workplaces, harass willing workers or to sabotage facilities and equipment.

The consequences of concessions made along such lines by previous governments have created a sense that some public servants are more precious than others,” he said.

Lagos Doctors call off strike

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has asked its members in Lagos to return to work with effect from Thursday, May 21, 2020.

The NMA had asked its members to down tools following alleged police harassment of doctors as they commuted to and from work during a night curfew.

The curfew had been put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, the NMA had said the curfew had left doctors confused because they were being harassed by police during curfew hours even though they should be exempt as ‘essential workers.’

That has now been cleared up after the police issued a statement late Wednesday.

The union of doctors says it has now received assurances that healthcare workers would be exempt from the curfew and would be allowed to move freely.

In a statement, the NMA Lagos branch said the industrial action “is hereby reversed and our members are hereby directed to resume work from 6 p.m. today”.