*Photo: President Tinubu *
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 ( MMWGN) made the call on Monday in a press statement signed by its National Coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi .
MMWGN 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 commrnence on 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, 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 therefore called on the Federal Government to stop the planned Wednesday strike from happening by convening urgently, “a meaningful dialogue with the doctors and the outcome of the meeting should be urgently and holistically implemented.”
The National-Coordinator of the Group noted with serious concern that ‘brain-drain’ had forced most competent, efficient and capable medical personnels out of the country and the situation 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 impmementation of the promise as a progressive Administration, it said.
On the review of minimum wage occasioned by the rise in pump-price of petrol, the Muslim Medua 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 pwyments laughable and ridiculous.
The Group maintained that any minimum wage review that does not carry along Federal, State and LG pensioners along is meaningless as pensioners patronise the same market with others for foodstuff, drugs, transportation and accommodation.
It appealed to President Tinubu to review the process of the nation’s wealth distribution upon the current hardship facing the Nation, pointing-out that apart from this, review of salaries and pensions, large percentage of money accruing from withdrawal of subsidy need be ploughed into – rescusitating the morbund nation’s refineries, regular and holistic turn-around maintenance of the refineries, transformation to CNG as source of energy and rescusitation of public and private industries to create jobs and stimulate the economy should also be carried out.