The industrial action embarked upon by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) continues today despite a meeting between the leadership of the union and President Muhammadu Buhari 48 hours ago.
During the meeting, President Buhari had appealed to the striking doctors to resume work because Nigerians need their service in a pandemic.
The President assured that all their outstanding wages and benefits would be cleared after the requisite verifications are carried out.
But, the resident doctors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors NARD) gave the payment of their salaries for between 2014 and 2021 as the only condition for which they would call off their 41-day-old strike.
They said the President should order the payments of the salaries instead of “begging us to call off the strike.”
NARD’s Communication Chairman, Dr Julian Ojebo, said on Sunday that they had lost trust in the government to keep its words and promises.
Ojebo said: “NARD is saying ‘no retreat no surrender’ until all our demands are met. We are not suspending any strike action. No verification was done after the period of 41 days.
“We gave the government 120 days for verification and nothing was done. We are therefore not waiting for any verification because we know that once we call off the strike, they won’t do anything.
“We do not see any reason the President is saying that he is begging us to call-off the strike. We are also begging the President to pay all outstanding salaries from 2014 to 2021.”
But Labour and Employment Chris Ngige said the striking doctors are owed only one month salary.
Ngige however said the doctors August salary was being withheld in line with the no-work, no-pay rule invoked by the government following their refusal to call off the strike.
The minister said the Federal Government, having dragged the doctors before the National Industrial Court, would wait for the outline of the matter.
