The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has dismissed the claim that its renewed strike threat was politically motivated.

The union insisted that the action had become inevitable after weeks of unmet agreements, shifting government positions, and worsening welfare conditions for doctors.

This comes as the union rejected assertions that its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government, which led to the suspension of a previous strike, had been implemented, stressing that none of the agreed demands has been fulfilled since the signing, including the reported N90 billion allocation for health workers’ allowances in this year’s budget.

Addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja, the NARD National President, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, accompanied by other union leaders, said the association’s position was driven solely by the obligation to protect the welfare and safety of its members, not by partisan interests.

The union leader said it would be illogical for resident doctors to align with political actors who lack the authority to address their grievances.

“Now, do you think I want to spoil the chances of my members getting their due diligence by going to romance with opposition? Is the opposition in government? Do they have the responsibility to solve this problem? It is the people in government who have the responsibility to solve this problem,” Suleiman said.

The NARD president said the union remained committed to engaging the current administration because it believes the government has both the mandate and capacity to resolve the issues between both sides.

“There is a government in power. We are loyal and responsible patriotic Nigerians. We believe that the government can solve our problems.

“If we do not believe that this government can solve our problems, we will not have even brought it to their table in the first place. We have the conviction that this government can solve this problem. As a union leader, I cannot afford not to have the conviction that this government can solve our problems.”

Appealing directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene decisively in the health sector crisis, Suleiman said: “We believe this government is responsive and responsible. We believe that the President of the country, President Bola Tinubu, will hear our cry.

Explaining why the union’s strike had become unavoidable, the NARD president said agreements reached with the Federal Government had repeatedly stalled, with new conditions introduced and some even reversed without consultation.

“Now, today, what we are hearing is that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) has to do a job evaluation before CBA can continue. That job evaluation must last six months. This has not been communicated to us, but it has been communicated to Nigeria’s public freely today in the media. So, it is like the goalpost keeps changing,” he said.

The union leader expressed doubt that the delays would end, even if fresh conditions were met.

He added: “I have the utmost confidence that even if the NSIWC finishes the job evaluation today, another reason will be concocted as to why CBA cannot continue.

“So, perhaps it is time to come clean, not just to Nigerians, but to come clean to all healthcare workers. I think if the Federal Government is not interested in this issue, they should make it clear they are not interested in this issue,” he said.

Suleiman stressed that attempts to portray a picture of divisions among health workers were misleading. (The Nation)

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