President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria [MDCAN], Professor Muhammad A. Mohammad, has described the sack of the chairman of the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Amb. Greg Mbadiwe, as a significant step in resolving the dispute on pending demands by the body of doctors.
The MDCAN had declared a seven-day strike nationwide over Amb. Greg Mbadiwe making PhD a criterion for the post of the Vice Chancellor of the university, thereby excluding medical lecturers from the race, including implementing a consolidated medical salary scale for all doctors and failure of the Federal Government to harmonise the retirement age of medical consultants to 70 years.
Professor Mohammad, in a telephone interview with the Nigerian Tribune, said the sack of Amb. Greg Mbadiwe is an indication that the demands by MDCAN will also be tackled.
He declared that discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Labour to get the other issues resolved, adding, “We are expecting something positive from the presidency regarding our demands.”
On the warning strike, he said when it will be called off will be determined by the National Executive Council (NEC) to meet later in the week.
“The next action is to discuss among the national leaders and call for a NEC meeting and take a further decision. It was the NEC that decided what we should do, and so therefore we should inform them officially and take a decision, and most likely they may agree to call off the strike or to suspend the strike.
“I’m going to consult, but the NEC meeting maybe tomorrow because there is a set time that you should be able to give the notice for a meeting. It is the NEC that decides whether to call off or to go on.
“But we appreciate Mr. President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, for heeding our call and doing the needful. This is a significant step in resolving the dispute at hand.”
READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE