By Felix Durumbah
Apparently rattled by the ongoing warning strike by resident doctors, which has paralysed healthcare in most public-owned hospitals in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), frenzied efforts are underway within the top hierarchy of FCT Administration (FCTA) to placate the angry doctors.
For one, People& Politics gathered, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is reportedly outside the country,in Asia, has issued express orders that all the owed doctors should be paid their vexed April,2025 salaries before Friday, May 9, 2025.
Our dependable sources said the Minister clearly warned his subordinates that he does not want any disruption of labour relations or strike in FCTA, directing them to “do everything” to get the doctors back to work immediately.
But, even as he gave the orders, other health unions escalated the strike by joining the FCTA chapter of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in the industrial action.
The vital unions which joined the strike are Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (HAPN) and the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), all of which joined on Tuesday,thus worsening the situation in the hospitals where relations of ailing, admitted patients had since been evacuating their loved ones to private health facilities, worship centres and other places.
FCTA owns 15 public hospitals, including the flagship District Hospitals in Asokoro, Wuse, and Maitama.
The resident doctors had, on Monday,declared a three-day warning strike, beginning on Tuesday, in response to what they described as the sacking of 127 health professionals by the FCT Civil Service Commission last Friday.
They said of the number allegedly sacked, three are Managing Directors (MDs) of District Hospitals even as pharmacists, lab technologists, nurses and other badly needed specialists and professionals were affected.
Paradoxically, the same FCTA has suffered brain drain abroad of these vital health cadres for years now with FCTA leaders growing grey hairs over how to replace them and get the nation’s capital health system up to sprint.
FCTA ARD Chairman, Dr George Ebong, who presided over an emergency meeting of the association, accused the Civil Service Commission’s Chairman, Emeka Ezeh, and the staff of high handedness, arrogance and total lack of respect for other public workers in their day-to-day service delivery assignments.
To worsen matters, Dr Ebong added, the April, 2025 salaries of all the allegedly sacked members were summarily stopped.
The doctors called for the sack of Mr Ezeh, stopping short of calling him incompetent.
They claimed that he took the action without recourse to the Director General (DG), FCT Hospitals Management Board (HMB), Dr Gbenga Bello; the Permanent Secretary, Health and Environment Services Secretariat, Dr Babagana Adam; nor the Mandate Secretary, Health and Environment Services Secretariat, Dr Dolapo Fasawe, the latter whose position is equivalent to a State Commissioner for Health.
Demanding the immediate reinstatement to work and payment of salaries of their members, the resident doctors’ leader warned that,if these and more were not effected at the end of the warning strike, the doctors would embark on indefinite full blown strike to press home their demands.
People&Politics reliably gathered that immediately Minister Wike got wind of the development, he verbally reprimanded “certain concerned officials” for allegedly moving to tarnish the image of his administration and ordered that the doctors be paid immediately and at the latest by Friday.
People&Politics further learned that after a meeting on Tuesday, May 6 (yesterday) with the Chief of Staff to the Minister, Mr Chidi Amadi, and which involved stakeholders in the health sector, it was agreed that the withheld salaries be paid immediately.
“As we talk now, some of the doctors have started receiving bank deposit alerts of their April salary,” People&Politics was told.
The stakeholders’ meeting was graced,among others, by Dr Fasawe, Dr Ebong, and the Council Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Comrade Jamman Madan.
Dr Fasawe led the striking workers’ delegation and,at the meeting, appealed to the FCTA authorities to take steps to end the labour face-off.
She stated that healthcare is a top priority for the Administration, urging the workers to suspend the strike even as she assured them that their demands would be addressed in full.
The Mandate Secretary appealed to them to consider the negative consequences of strikes on the people of FCT.
Responding, Mr Amadi reaffirmed FCTA’s commitment to the welfare of health workers, assuring that all efforts were ongoing to resolve issues promptly and restore normalcy in the hospitals.
In their speeches, the labour leaders, however, agreed to continue providing emergency services,pending when they confirm that all those ‘sacked’ had been fully paid and resettled.
The union leaders hailed Minister Wike for responding to matters pertaining to the health of FCT residents.
