Lessons from the industrial action embarked upon by resident doctors

There are important lessons to be learnt from the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Resident Doctors and Academic staff Union of Universities across the country to press home their numerous demands even though such agitations came with grave danger to the health needs of Nigerians and financial loss to parents and students.

The centrality of the whole drama revolves around the quest for job satisfactions among the agitators and facilities to work with as was hitherto agreed upon collectively by both the Federal government and the Health Management in the country.

Permit me to say that the prediction of one of the foremost Nigeria philosophers Alhaji Maitama Sule, Danmasani Kano has come to stay.

According to him in one of the National Dailies, a statement was credited to the late octogenarians Alhaji Maitama Sule Dan Masani Kano, may his soul rest in perfect peace,

where he lamented the state of Nigeria Nation stressing that if people like Sardauna, Zik and Awolowo were to come back they would die tens times of heart attacks and high blood pressure due to how bad and corrupt Nigeria is.

Dr Maitama Sule did not stop at that, when he said one does not know the line between who have morality and those who did not have.

From the above philosophical disposition of the late Nationalist, one begins to think and question the conscience of our leaders and followers after the demise of the founding fathers of our great country, Nigeria,

the most populous black race on the continents to courageously ask ourselves the pertinent questions where do we get it wrong to deserve the current travail we are passing through as a nation.

Historically, the colonilisation of Nigeria by Britain was not by mistake rather they bequeathed to us effective instruments and structures of governance which was gladly and graciously handed down to the nation’s elites for proper functioning

and administration of oath of office in a flexible manner with a view to enhance on the already laid down foundations by the colonial masters for egalitarian Nigeria.

Sadly enough, leaders after leaders have come and gone without coherence replications and conscious reflections of the characteristic expositions of our founding fathers that were carefully built on virile foundation for the socio economic development and

expansion of the country’s human and rich natural resources to strive from generation to generation being envisaged by these great nationalists is gradually drifting away if not checked.

This ugly development has prompted some segments of Nigeria population clamoring for the re-colonilisation of the country once again since the former cannot stand the taste of time to adequately and proportionately unify and

carry the diverse ethnic nationalities along in its policy formulations and implementation to address the yearnings and aspirations of the citizens in a more transparent and pragmatic manner to unify the aggrieved citizens on a round-table

to cross fertilise ideas on the way forward to practically and humanly address our differences to consolidate on the vision and mission of the founding fathers.

It was further argued that the inability of Nigeria past leaders and present to holistically formulate people oriented policies and programmes with the spirit of openness and

transparency in governance was the main reasons why the current crops of political leaders in the country vis-à-vis government workforce did not develop the spirit of selfless service to fatherland rather believe in momentary satisfaction

through corrupt practices and abuse of office to earmark wealth that is meant for the generality of Nigeria without punishment to show deterrent to others and consequently gave birth to incessant strike action due to corruption in the country.

Since the year 2000 to date the country has witnessed series of industrial actions across all strata of our national lives embarked upon either by the workforce, academic institutions, Judiciary, Health institutions and

even the Nigerian Police Force once threatened to embark on strike due to bad governance and corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of our national lives. It is practically impossible to give what you don’t have.

The Superlative performance of the civil servant is the true reflection of their welfare to discourage idleness and stealing from government treasury.

Year in year out government institutions go on strike to draw government attentions to their plights with its attendant consequences on Nigerians.

But how long can we continue this way? it was discovered that Nigeria is the only country of the world where leaders play with the sensibility of its workforce over poor remuneration, poor condition of service to some MDAs

while others enjoyed jumbo salaries instead of pro actively encouraging her workforce through a well structured welfare to disabused the minds of government employees from corruption .

Ours is different mathematical calculation on the parts of the leaders without recourse to the plights of Nigeria workers particularly in time of economic recession.

According to one of the Labour leaders, Nigeria is the only country of the world where MDAs have different salary structures irrespective of the academic qualifications of the staff of such MDAs, the markets they attend and

their social and cultural orientations all these does not in anyway matter to the government to strategically address the lingering issues of salary disparities in the Nations workforce once and for all to avoid industrial disputes.

From investigation, hate speeches is equally dominance among civil servants particularly over salary disparity for the same group of professionals working for the same government of Nigeria.

This disparage in remuneration has created division among the civil servant in the country often times leads to industrial disharmony and loss of man hours and resources on the parts of the government.

Suffice to state that , all MDAs in the country play a pivotal role for the success,oneness, sanctity, tranquility and economic diversification of the country.

Therefore no MDAs or institution is superior or inferior to others if government want peace and industrial harmony to reign in the country.

Currently Nigeria government and the leadership of Resident Doctors are in negotiating table to drive home their demand and also that of the Universities lecturers also require government attention to urgently address the impasse before call off the strike embarked upon by the academic staff of the Universities.

All these are issues that can be holistically dealt with if government is sincere ,just and fair to Nigeria projects.

Health or educational system in the country can be left paralyzed for years without having a ripple effects on the well to do individuals that are in position of money in the government but what about the poor masses that can barely afford two square meals per day left alone paying their medical bills or taking their children to privates school abroad.

Therefore strike is not the only viable option to solve our problem rather a diplomatic approach should be instituted to constructively engage government on a roundtable to iron out the differences.

Humanistic speaking, who can tentatively give account of many lives that were lost since the commencement of the Nationwide strike action embarked upon by the Resident Doctors across the country?

A lots of Nigerians lost their lives as a results of the Resident Doctors face off with government cross the country hence the need to permanently devise a workable mechanism to address and distance government workforce from embarking on industrial action as the last resort before workers demands can be attended to with a view to forestall loss of life and financial wastages in the country.

Government should see the welfares of its workforce as a priority and not by coercion through agitations by the workers .

Doctors should know that their service to humanity is very crucial thereby expected to work assiduously to redeem the image of its professional ethics as the actions and inactions of Nigeria Doctors calls for a holistic re-evaluation to meet international best practices.

Doctors in the country should have human face while drawing battle line with the federal government considering the sacrosanct of human life in the course of their agitation.

It is imperative to say the obvious that we,re all Nigerians knowing fully well where we,re coming from as a Nation.

There is the need for all and sundry to be more nationalistic in our approach when it comes to agitation for recognition over certain demands from the government.

Doctors are employed to manage and save lives why allowing such precious treasure to be wasted in the name of agitation for the singular quest for materialism or hospital equipment?

During this strike, a grandmother was killed on her way from the farm along Bauchi Jos highway by a high speeding car and when rushed to the government Hospital there was no Doctor to attend to her immediately on the process she died.

This is just one example out of many across the country. It is also worthy of note that hazard in work places is not only peculiar to Health workers alone, this writer working with NOA almost lost his life to BOKO Haram attacks during the 2015 General Elections in Kirfi LGA of Bauchi state when the attackers came in their hundreds to the LGA.

It might equally interest you to note that throughout the General Elections none of the NOA staff who participated in the monitoring and conducts of the General Elections was given a kobo as allowance but we,re very much happy to do the job without complaining.

As a Mobilizers, I know this is a call for National service, I courageously carried out my National assignment with excitement.

The attendants risk involves in Mobilization and sensitization of the Public is even more dangerous anyone can think of among all the profession , the staff of the Agency is not enjoying any risk allowances yet we didn’t go on strike infact, the Agency is even the least paid among the MDAs in the country.

Does it mean that NOA is not contributing to the National growth, economic diversification and peaceful coexistence of Nigeria?

No Nation can developed Socially, Economically,Politically,Morally without behavioral change and attitudinal re-orientation of the people. NOA is also a research Agency of the federal government going by the virtues of her activities across the 774 Local Government Areas of the country.

All this are the constitutional mandates of NOA but there was no recognition in this direction as the Agency is poorly funded considering the strategic position of the Agency to Nigeria projects but we keep on managing without shutdown the activities of government.

Therefore let me use this medium to appeal to all civil servants in the country not just only the Residents Doctors or University Lecturers but all of us

and the federal government to adopt and domicile the philosophy of the herdsmen according to one of our late icons Dr Maitama Sule Danmasani Kano that talked about patriotism, selfless service to fatherland, Humility, Endurance, Leaders should give and

not to take, Leaders and not rulers, When the citizens are suffering the leaders should suffer as well. Leaders who has the philosophy of the herdsman, Leaders who has the fears of God.

For Nigeria to meet the yearning and aspirations of its citizens, the aforementioned philosophy by Dr. Maitama Sule should be adopted by Nigeria leaders as a guide and our watch words as a Nation to propel the engine of National cohesion and integration. God bless Nigeria.

Shaibu Danjuma is head of media and communication of NOA, Bauchi.