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‘No Work, No Pay’ Tinubu Tells Striking Resident Doctors
The Federal Government has instituted a “no work, no pay” policy for resident doctors which may prevent them from receiving their salaries due to their ongoing strike.
This is stated in a letter to the Accountant General of the Federation dated August 1 and sent by the Director of Hospital Services at the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Dr. Andrew Noah, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olufunso Adebiyi.
The letter is titled ‘Re: Incessant Strike Action by Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD): Implementation of ‘No Work, No Pay’ Policy of the Federal Government’. It has DHS/828/T1/410 as its serial number.
The body of the letter read: “NARD has in a letter Ref_. No. NARD/SG/2022-2023/050723/459; dated July 5, extended its expired ultimatum by another two weeks effective from Wednesday, July 5.
“Also at the expiration of the extended ultimatum on July 19, if all the demands are not met, NARD will not guarantee industrial harmony in the health Sector.
“On July 26, NARD embarked on an indefinite strike over their agitated issues despite concerted government interventions.”
The letter also itemised some of NARD’s key demands to be immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), immediate implementation of a minimum of 200 per cent increment in Consolidated Medical Salary Structure and the upward review of associated allowances.
Others are payment of outstanding arrears of consequential adjustment, hazard allowance and skipping allowance.
The letter said that various conciliatory meetings by the ministry of health, Ministry of labour and Employment, government stakeholders and the National Assembly proved abortive in getting NARD to call off the indefinite strike action.
“I am directed to bring to your notice the provisions of Circular No.58598/S.1/II/182 dates June 22, 2016, on ‘No Work, No Pay’ and request for the implementation of the circular to serve as a deterrent to other health workers.
“I am further directed to request your good office to stop the salaries of all striking resident doctors with effect from July 26, 2023,” the letter read.
Reacting to the letter, the President of NARD, Dr Innocent Orji, told journalist that the ‘no work, no pay’ policy would aggravate the issues and escalate the on-going strike by its members.
According to him, the Federal Government has aggravated the matter because FMOH has not been living up to their responsibility, but claim that because it does not have a minister, it cannot do much.
Speaking about the various conciliatory talks that the government and other stakeholders have engaged the association in, Orji said it is getting people tired.
He added that the Federal Government had not been in negotiations with the association since the strike commenced.
“We had talks before the strike started, we have said before that they do not need talks to pay MRTF 2023, it is in the budget and the funds are there.
“They do not need talks or meetings to release the circular on One-for-One policy for the replacement of exited clinical workers so that they can replace those who have left the system, our members are just working round the clock alone doing the work of so many people.
“If you tell me that for skipping arrears, for CONMESS review that demands negotiations fine, but for these other ones, nobody needs any special meeting to do that and that is the problem.
“Assuming they did two or three things of course doctors can now decide to consider coming back to work and give more time for discussions to resolve the other issues but that has not happened.
“A government that has made promises and decided to renege on those promises and on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with us and they are doing this, it will only aggravate the matter.
“We will have our meeting this weekend, whatever happens from next week let it be put on record that they caused it,” Orji said.
The Enugu State Government has commended the Republic of Finland for the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based leader of the proscribed separatist group, Autopilots.
Ekpa has been accused of orchestrating violence and chaos in Nigeria’s South East region.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the government described Ekpa as a “common criminal, con man, and terrorist” who has exploited the Igbo people while claiming to represent their interests.
RELATED NEWS: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
“The Enugu State Government welcomes the arrest of the Finland-based terrorist, Simon Ekpa,” the statement read.
“His arrest and trial will no doubt go a long way in strengthening peace, security, and stability in all parts of the South East.”
The state government accused Ekpa of sponsoring violent activities that have resulted in the loss of lives, destruction of property, and disruption of the region’s economic activities.
It stated that Ekpa’s actions were driven by personal greed and not genuine concern for the Igbo people.
Onyia said, “Ekpa is a murderer and fraudster who delights in killing his people and living large off their misery.
“He thrives on manipulating, exploiting, and extorting the people on the pretext of fighting for their interest and for the restoration of Biafra.”
The government emphasized its readiness to provide evidence of Ekpa’s alleged crimes to support his prosecution, whether in Finland or Nigeria.
“This arrest is in line with the demand of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration, which has repeatedly made it known that Ekpa is a megalomaniac, common criminal, murderer, and fraudster who takes joy in feeding fat on the manipulated emotions of Ndigbo and inflicting misery on the South East region,” the statement added.
The government further criticized Ekpa for fostering a climate of fear and insecurity that has harmed the entrepreneurial spirit and economic growth of the Igbo people.
“Ekpa has for long, and unfortunately from Finland, made a living by creating a siege climate and mentality in the South East, destroying lives, property, and the Igbo trademark of entrepreneurship and hard work,” Onyia said.
The Enugu State Government expressed optimism that Ekpa’s arrest would mark a turning point in the quest for peace and stability in the South East, urging residents to remain vigilant and supportive of ongoing efforts to restore normalcy in the region.
The COP29 presidency has unveiled an ambitious climate finance plan, calling on developed nations to provide $250 billion annually to developing countries by 2035.
The proposal, part of a broader initiative to mobilize $1.3 trillion from public and private sources each year, seeks to address the mounting challenges posed by climate change.
The five-page draft text, released on Friday, emphasizes the need for developed nations to lead the charge in financing climate action.
RELATED NEWS: COP29: Climate Summit Faces Deadlock Over Vague Funding Proposals For Vulnerable Nations
According to the document, this financial commitment is seen as a critical step toward combating the climate crisis and fostering sustainable development globally.
“In this context, it is decided to set a goal in extension of the goal referred to in paragraph 53 of decision 1/CP.21, with developed country Parties taking the lead, to USD 250 billion per year by 2035 for developing country Parties for climate action,” the draft states.
The announcement follows the release of an earlier 10-page draft on Thursday, which drew significant criticism from Global South delegations.
Many expressed frustration that the document lacked clear financial commitments from wealthier nations, falling short of expectations to support adaptation and mitigation efforts.
“There is a clear need to address the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, especially given the diverse circumstances shaping national priorities,” a negotiator from a developing country delegation remarked.
The updated proposal aims to address some of these concerns by outlining more specific targets. However, skepticism remains among some negotiators, who feel the revisions still fail to adequately address their demands.
Meanwhile, developed countries have raised their own reservations about the proposed plan.
A European negotiator, speaking to Reuters, described the $250 billion annual target as unrealistic and criticized the lack of measures to expand the pool of contributing countries.
“No one is comfortable with the number because it’s high, and there’s almost nothing on broadening the contributor base,” the negotiator said.
The mixed reactions underscore the persistent divide between developed and developing nations in climate negotiations.
While the draft text aims to reconcile these differences, the gap between expectations and commitments remains a significant hurdle.
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
ALSO READ: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
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