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Strike: FG Offers To Pay Salary Arrears Of Doctors
As part of steps to end the on-going strike that has paralysed many hospitals, the Federal Government has directed immediate payment of salary arrears of over 450 medical doctors.
Those affected are mostly House Officers, who are being owed for three months.
Also, government said it has started discussing with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and other health associations on the review of the Hazard Allowance for all workers in the sector.
It acknowledged N5,000 Hazard Allowance per head as paltry, and pledged to review it.
The government appealed to doctors to abide by their Hippocratic Oath by calling off the strike in the interest of Nigerians.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, made the disclosures in an interview with newsmen, yesterday.
He said, “Those people are not being owed, their money is there. The issue is about migration from GIFMIS to IPPIS. It was like the case of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“But, their list has been compiled and submitted on Saturday for Accountant-General of the Federation’s office to start payment of the backlog of three months for the two groups. If you are employed in January up to March and you have not been paid, is it not three months?
“If you terminated your payment in GIFMIS in October up to December, is it not three months? We are going to pay them.
“At the conciliation, we gave everybody waiver over the payroll. So, it is in the agreement we signed, the Memorandum of Action, that they are saying they don’t want or that the is president is saying he does not want. He didn’t know because he didn’t participate in the meeting.
“So, I expect that the payment to start any moment from Monday. IPPIS office assured me that they will start paying, if they get the full list. That is the major one.”
“This abdication of responsibility resulted in the present chaotic situation, which made some Chief Medical Directors to go ahead and conduct recruitment of new house officers on their own in violation of circular which prohibits same. They claimed they did this to maintain their manpower need to save lives.”
On Hazard Allowance, the government said the input of the doctors and other health workers had not been received by the government.
The statement added, “The Minister of Labour had also advised the committee to send in their proposal through the Federal Ministry of health, their employers, and up till date, no such proposal has reached the desk of the minister. The minister equally gave audience to two professional groups in the health sector and advised them same.
“The minister, as the co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages, held similar meetings with two other health professional groups at their request and also advised them in the same way to send in their proposal through the Federal Ministry of Health. We are not sure the Ministry of Health received these proposals till now.
Giving more insights into what led to the crisis in the health sector.
The statement added, “National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) was also kept in the dark by the NMA leadership. At the request of the president of the NMA, the Minister of Labour and Employment had received in audience and held a technical session with the NMA Remuneration Committee led by Dr. Orhue on the issue of hazard allowance – from N5,000 to a new rate based on CONMES salary structure.”
It said the minister was of the opinion that NARD should have allowed the NMA to handle all issues instead of going on strike.
The statement said, “The minister further said the House officers are not members of NARD since they are medical doctors with provisional license, hence members of NMA which is the professional umbrella for all doctors.
“The abdication of responsibility for protecting the baby doctors by the NMA is nothing but a grave display of lack of leadership, indeed leadership failure. Playing the ostrich and hiring militant NARD to lead the way in what should be a smooth display of administrative craftsmanship.
“Ngige added that the invocation of national strike by NARD over an issue that could be handled by the NMA does not help the nation.”
This tranche of grants for debt service relief will continue to help free up scarce financial resources for vital emergency health, social, and economic support to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Subject to the availability of sufficient resources in the CCRT, debt service relief could be provided for the remaining period through from October 16, 2021 to April 13, 2022, amounting to a total of about SDR 680 ($964) million.
In March, 2020, IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, launched an urgent fundraising effort to raise $1.4billion in grants for the CCRT.
This would enable the CCRT to provide financial assistance for relief on debt service for up to a maximum of two years, while leaving the CCRT adequately funded for future needs.
Thus far, donors have pledged contributions totalling about $774million, including from the European Union, the UK, Japan, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Singapore, China, Mexico, Philippines, Sweden, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, and Malta.
The Fund’s executive directors welcomed the opportunity to consider the approval of grants under the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) to support the third tranche of debt service relief for the Fund’s poorest and most vulnerable members.
They noted that the Covid-19 pandemic continues to exact a severe human and economic toll on these countries and that the resources freed up by the first and second tranches of CCRT debt service relief had helped mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
The directors agreed that the available resources and pledges are sufficient to finance the third tranche of debt service relief for the period from April 14, to October 15, 2021.
Accordingly, they approved grant assistance under the CCRT for relief for 28 eligible members that have debt service falling due during this period.
The directors concurred that countries that received the CCRT grants for debt relief are generally pursuing appropriate macroeconomic policies in response to the economic fallout from the global pandemic.
They welcomed that a number of member countries were transitioning to Upper Credit Tranche-quality arrangements which would provide a stronger policy framework for the recovery period.
The directors also observed that most countries would benefit from a resumption of Fund surveillance and updated debt sustainability assessments.
same way as the North that gave him 95%, adding that the President has kept his word by giving all the strategic security posts to the Muslim Hausa/Fulani North.
“The President did not trust sons and daughters of the South-East of Nigeria enough to assign one of the top internal security jobs even when by merits, there are several qualified Igbo-speaking officers.
“By the way, and by way of analogy, the current Army Chief was a Major General. Are there no Major Generals of Igbo extraction or are there no Igbo equivalents of major General in other segments of the Armed Forces like the Navy and Air Force?” HURIWA wondered.
“The President does not like the faces of Igbo except the person whom he made his official photographer. So, you can see that the South-East of Nigeria has received unfavourable treatment. The key spokesman of the President behaves more like the defender of Miyetti Allah castle sellers than an officer working for the citizens and the nation-Nigeria.
“There have been at least one dozen deaths of civilians by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen in the South-East since 2015 till even as recently as two days back. This government did not describe the attacks as terrorism. Even the one in Ebonyi that the friend of the President, Governor Dave Umahi directly accused armed Fulani, herdsmen.
“The armed bandits destroying North-West are terrorists, but this government rebaptised them as armed bandits and has watched as someone who is a religious cleric is busy defending these terrorists and even insulting Journalists for calling the armed bandits as criminals. Last time, a group affiliated to Fulani herdsmen said they attacked Benue Governor, but the President said nothing.
“The National Security Adviser says the man Sheikh Gumi has the right to talk to whomsoever he wishes to talk to, but this is the same government that the police have shot and killed about two or more journalists only because they were covering protests by Islamic Movement of Nigeria here in Abuja.
“The last attack in the Ebonyi community by armed Fulani herdsmen in which a priest and 30 other innocent civilians were slaughtered was never described as terrorists but rather Garba Shehu, who signed a statement on behalf of the President, who reportedly went to see his British doctor, sounded patronizing and dramatic by issuing empty threat to deal with them.
“Now, the attacks in Owerri have been hurriedly described as an act of terrorism and the IGP whose stay in office is a subject of intense ligation by citizens, quickly said IPOB was responsible and then as expected the so-called spokesmen of IPOB says they were not responsible.
“Igbo in Diaspora, who have contacts with world leaders should stop sitting on the fence. Your homeland is about to be desecrated; will you not speak out or are you comfortable with these attacks which initially was coloured as targeting security forces and national security Institutions? And now without any sort of investigations, those who are privileged to have been nepotistically appointed into national offices are now seeking to execute their anti-Igbo agenda.
“Tell us whether it is ethically, legally, morally right for these same police, military, DSS that failed to protect public institutions and their officers most of whom serving in the East, especially the police to now be drafted to unleash violence on innocent people.”
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.