Abbas Urges Resident Doctors to Shelve Planned Strike

•Education, health, infrastructure top House of Reps legislative agenda

Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has called on the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to suspend their planned industrial action in order for the House to intervene.

The plea by Abbas to the doctors came just as the leadership of the House of Representatives, yesterday, pledged to work for improved socio-economic conditions of Nigerians by giving budgetary priority to entrepreneurship development, employment, health, education and infrastructure.

The Speaker made the appeal yesterday, in Abuja, at an intervention meeting with members of the Union, while it also sought their understanding of the fact that a new administration just came on board and was still in the process of settling down as Ministers were yet to be appointed.

He said the decision of the Union to meet with the leadership of the House was an affirmation of their faith and confidence in the capacity of the House to intervene and resolve the lingering issues in dispute.

The Speaker noted that the leadership of the House felt honored for the Union to accept to meet with the lawmakers even in the face of a looming strike action whose notice had been issued.

According to him, “this is most reassuring owing to the fact that the 9th Assembly had previously intervened in this matter. We hope to even go beyond the steps and actions taken by the previous House to ensure that we find a lasting resolution to the ever lingering crisis.”

Abbas added that the leadership of the House was not unmindful of the many sacrifices Resident Doctors have continued to make in the health sector in spite of the many challenges they face and the poor conditions within which they work.

The Speaker stressed that while many of their colleagues have left the shores of the country in pursuit of better working conditions, “you have chosen to remain behind in service to the fatherland.”

He stated: “We commend you for this and assure you, that we would deploy every legislative instrument available to us to ensure that you are fully compensated and rewarded for this act of patriotism.

“Given your faith in us, I would urge you to suspend the impending industrial action while we intervene. We equally seek your understanding of the fact that a new administration just came on board and still in the process of settling down as Ministers are yet to assume office.”

The Speaker urged the Union to take advantage of the meeting to bare their minds on the issues at stake and suggest realistic solutions to them.

He added: “We must approach these issues with an open mind and guided by the fact that revenues available to the government may not fully meet our demands.

“Therefore, we must find a middle ground that satisfies everyone without prejudice to the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding.”

Abbas recalled that the demands of the Union included the payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund, upward review of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and salary arrears dating back to 2015.

He said the issues and more could be resolved without embarking on an industrial action.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the House of Representatives has pledged to work for improved socio-economic conditions of Nigerians by giving budgetary priority to entrepreneurship development, employment, health, education and infrastructure.

Abbas, who made the pledge at a stakeholders’ meeting on the 10th House of Representatives Legislative Agenda jointly organised by the Adhoc Committee on Legislative Agenda and the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre in Abuja, said the lawmakers’ engagement with citizens would go beyond mere consultation.

He said ‘The ‘Open NASS’ project of the 10th House of Representatives’ required regular consultations with the people and striving to return the Legislature to those who own it through regular, meaningful, and productive engagements.

“It is my expectation that our conversations will centre around the critical needs of our people at this time. As articulated in my speech on the 4th of July, 2023, that ‘the House will pay priority attention to participatory budgeting process and delivery, law reform, electoral reform, women’s participation and inclusion in governance, improved socio-economic conditions, entrepreneurship, employment, health and education, infrastructure, citizens-focused diplomacy, institutional capacity and citizens engagement, constitutional amendment and restructuring, among others,’ he said.

According to the Speaker, the new approach required lawmakers to have functional constituency offices for regular interaction with our constituents.

He added: “Our desire is to have a legislative agenda that meets the yearnings and aspirations of citizens and with which they would use as a benchmark to evaluate and assess our performance after four years. Therefore, today’s meeting should not be seen as the usual talk-shop. Consider it a critical national assignment.”

While presenting details of the 10th House of Representatives’ Legislative Agenda to stakeholders, the Majority Leader and Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Legislative Agenda, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said the key pillars of the agenda included economic empowerment and diversification, infrastructure development, education and human capital development, healthcare for all and transparent governance, accountability, security and safety of persons and properties.

Ihonvbere, who made a commitment that the lawmakers would pursue a prosperous and inclusive agenda also said one of the major goals of the current legislature would be to drive economic empowerment and diversification.

He expressed worry that Nigeria’s over-reliance on oil exports had left, “our economy vulnerable to fluctuations in global oil prices.”

“To mitigate this risk and build a sustainable economy, we will incentivise investments in non-oil sectors such as agriculture, technology, and renewable energy,” he said.

In the agriculture sector, the Majority Leader said the House of Representatives would pass legislation to modernise farming practices. improve access to credit for farmers, and support agricultural research and development.

Additionally, he said the lawmakers would explore opportunities in agro-processing, “to add value to our agricultural produce and create more jobs.”

Ihonvbere, also said the House of Representatives would promote investment in technology and innovation space, and would foster an environment that encourages start-ups, nurtures innovation hubs, and incentivises research and development.

On education and human capital development, Ihonvbere said the legislature believes that a well-educated and skilled populace remains key to unlocking the nation’s potential.

He said the new Legislative agenda would prioritise education reform to ensure quality and accessible education for all Nigerians.

“We will work towards increasing the budgetary allocation to the education sector, ensuring that resources are utilised effectively to improve infrastructure, provide better training for teachers, and enhance the overall learning experience for students.

“Through budgeting, oversight and legislative outreach, we will rigorously address the challenges of Out-of-School-Children. Not-in-School-Children, Almajiri education, and mass literacy.

“To address the skills gap and youth unemployment, we will promote Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET). By aligning our educational system with the needs of the job market, we can equip our youth with the skills and knowledge required to excel in the modem economy,” he said.

He further said the focus would be on promoting gender equality in education, ensuring that girls and women have equal opportunities to access education and pursue careers in various fields.

Ihonvbere, said the new legislative agenda would prioritise healthcare reform to improve access, quality, and affordability of healthcare services for all Nigerians.

He also pledged that the legislature would work towards increasing the budgetary allocation to the healthcare sector, ensuring that facilities are adequately equipped and staffed to meet the healthcare needs of our citizens. “Additionally, we will explore public-private partnerships to bridge gaps in healthcare provision and expand access to medical services in underserved areas. Proactive measures will be taken to address public health challenges, including the promotion of preventive healthcare and the establishment of disease surveillance systems.

“We must invest in research and development to address emerging health threats and ensure that our healthcare system is well-prepared for any future pandemics. In doing these, we will pay attention to building bridges between trado-medicine and local production of drugs.

“We will work towards strengthening our anti-corruption agencies, providing them with the necessary tools and resources to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption,’ he said.

On his part, the Executive Director of PLAC, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, said the challenge before the National Assembly was to ensure that the living condition in Nigeria today was not so harsh as to force unintended consequences on the country.