By Salim Yunusa
Amid the ongoing strike to make Kaduna State State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, rescind the mass sack of workers, the governor on Tuesday announced the dismissal of all nurses below level 14.
The governor’s action is linked to a tweet he made earlier when he stated that Barau Dikko Teaching hospital had reported that nurses disconnected oxygen from a two-day old baby in an incubator on Monday, May 17, 2021 when they joined the NLC strike.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai said, “Apart from referring the nurses involved to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution, the government also announced the dismissal of all nurses below Grade Level 14 for the illegal strike.”
“The Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those dismissed.
“The government has directed all its Ministries, Departments and Agencies to submit their attendance registers to the Head of Service while Kaduna State University should submit same to the Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of Education.”
Adekeye noted that salaries that could have been paid to the dismissed nurses will be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the health workers who are at their duty posts to fill the gaps of those absconding from duty.
The statement acknowledged doctors and some other categories of health workers that are trying to run public health facilities, ‘’but regrets that some nurses have joined the unlawful strike and engaged in sabotage of some of our health facilities. Nurses were implicated in the forceful discharge of patients in many health facilities.’’
The government also warned that any academic staff of KASU that does not report for work will be dismissed, adding that government ‘’will not tolerate the brazen shutdown of electricity, attack on public infrastructure and buildings, locking up hospitals and forcefully discharging patients.’’
The Special Adviser likened the actions of the NLC as equivalent to the actions of the bandits kidnapping and menacing our citizens. Bandits illegally use arms, but the NLC is deploying mob action for exactly the same ends.’’
‘’Efforts to dress up criminal activity as industrial action do not change the reality of lawbreaking that has unfolded, including their persistently ignoring the prohibition against impeding essential services,’’ Adekeye said.
He reiterated that Ayuba Wabba and his senior confederates in the NLC have been “declared wanted, and will be vigorously prosecuted for violations of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, the Miscellaneous Offences and the Trade Dispute (Essential Services) Acts.”
The statement advised Wabba and his cohorts “to report to the Ministry of Justice and the Police Headquarters to make their statements.’’
The NLC is yet to react to the latest action of the governor.
