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Strikes: FG Meets Resident Doctors, Today …Parleys With ASUU,’Morrow
The Federal Government will meet with the leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) n Abuja, today.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, who convened the meeting said it would hold at 12 noon on September 6 in place of November 2 as earlier planned.
Ngige explained in a statement last Monday that the doctors had reached an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Health on their six-point demand with timelines duly signed.
He, however, expressed disappointment and shock at what he described as the “sudden U-turn” by the leadership of the association and asked them to go back to work.
“In view of this unfortunate development, the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by the Trade Dispute Act 2004, has apprehended the ongoing strike by NARD,” said the statement signed by the Deputy Director of Press at the ministry, Samuel Olowookere.
“Consequently, the meeting between NARD and government earlier scheduled for November 2, 2017, is now convened for Wednesday, September 6 by 12 noon at the Conference Room of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment.
“All stakeholders are implored to attend this crucial conciliation meeting. The health and well-being of Nigerians are cardinal to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. Hence, every measure necessary shall be taken to restore normalcy.”
The meeting was reconvened hours after the leadership of the association announced the commencement of a nationwide industrial action.
The decision was reached at the doctors’ National Executive Council meeting which lasted from 7:00 pm on Sunday until the early hours of Monday.
The doctors vowed that they would not end the strike until all their demands were met by the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) teams, will, tomorrow, hold a crucial meeting to try and resolve issues which gave rise to the ongoing strike by the lecturers.
Tomorrow’s meeting, if held, will be exactly a week since the lecturers refused to show up for a meeting with the government delegation, saying such meeting was “unnecessary.”
The meeting is at the instance of the Ministers of Labour and Education and was communicated to ASUU in the early hours of yesterday, it was learnt.
Persons expected to be at tomorrow’s meeting are the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.
In an interview with newsmen, yesterday, the President of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi confirmed the meeting.
“We just received the notification of the meeting,” he said in a telephone interview, yesterday morning, adding, “Until Thursday, that is when we can say what would happen but we have been invited for the meeting.”
A National Executive Council meeting of ASUU held last week had reviewed the government’s initial offer to some of the demands of the lecturers.
At that meeting, the lecturers resolved to proceed with the strike which commenced on August 13.
According to a top ASUU official who pleaded anonymity, the lecturers rejected the Federal Government’s offer due to lack of “trust.”
“Lecturers were not comfortable with the Federal Government’s offer because previous promises failed,” the source said, seeking anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
“So, it was better to solve all once and for all, so as not to be deceived again.”
The Federal Government had reportedly offered to pay N23billion and a monthly payment of N1.5billion pending the outcome of the forensic audit being carried out by the Ministry of Finance on various universities.
Some of the demands of the lecturers include payment of shortfall in salaries, universities to be allowed to manage their internal revenue independently and exemption of universities from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.