The Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has appealed to the striking doctors in the state to be patriotic and call off their industrial action to prevent being forced to invoke the no work, no pay rule.
Fayemi said he felt more distraught realising that many workers, who got promoted five years ago have not enjoyed financial benefits of such elevation, saying “it wasn’t my style and intention to deprive people of their legitimate entitlements.”
The governor’s threat was coming less than 24 hours after Tribune Online had published the pains and frustration of residents in accessing healthcare across the 16 local government areas of the state since the industrial action got underway on June 30.
The governor who spoke during a statewide broadcast, on Wednesday, in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital appealed to the striking doctors, under the auspices of National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) to end the strike in the interest of poor citizens.
According to Fayemi, “We can always collect arrears of unpaid allowances, but a life lost cannot be reversed. That is why I should like to call on the doctors to take the patriotic route like other health workers and the organised labour for an immediate end to the needless strike.
“I do not want to be put in a situation where I have to invoke the no work, no pay in Ekiti.”
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Commending the labour leaders for being patriotic, Fayemi stated: “Two days ago, the leadership of the organised labour comprising Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiation Council also embarked on a warning strike which they immediately called off after engaging with Government.
“For instance, I am pained in my heart that people who got promoted for about five years ago have not enjoyed the corresponding financial benefits. These are things which give me great pain and which I am absolutely committed to assuaging their feelings.”
Giving reasons for his inability to pay, Fayemi said Ekiti had consistently received from the Federation Account, an average N3billion in the last six months with a monthly wage bill of N2.8bilion.
“Apart from the fact that our monthly federally received allocation has plummeted considerably because of low crude prices and off-take, our internally generated revenue has gone worse as many businesses that should pay taxes are themselves under different government supports to stay afloat,” he said.
Fayemi regretted that there had been a progressive spike in the number of COVID-19 cases recorded between July and now in Ekiti, which a cumulative number of victims now stands at 152.
On the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, he applauded Ekiti people for their prayers, solidarity, calls, messages and goodwill during the period of his isolation and treatment for COVID-19 infection.
Fayemi said after thorough precautionary preparations, that he was glad to inform the people that schools can now open for the SS3 students who are expected to resume next week Monday, August 10, while their teachers are already in school preparatory to their resumption.
The governor disclosed that government had fumigated all the public schools and work is ongoing to clear the bushes so as to ensure the environment is clean and conducive for learning.