Kogi doctors resume strike

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Kogi state has directed its members to resume the strike they suspended two weeks ago.

The directive was contained in a statement issued by the association after an emergency congress in Lokoja on Saturday.

The doctors said the resumption of the strike was informed by the state government’s alleged failure to fulfill its promises to meet their demands.

Godwin Tijani, the state chairman of the association, said the decision was for the entire doctors to resume strike “since their demands were being ignored by the state government.”

He said the state government had failed to honour the agreement “in spite of its assurance after the stakeholders’ intervention.”

“It is really unfortunate that we have found our self in this mess. We respected all the stakeholders who wanted the progress of the Kogi health sector, but the government is putting deaf ears into our demands,” he said.

“We have had several promises of salary alerts for the past one week without success; consequently, the Kogi NMA hereby directs all its members to resume strike as from 12 am on June 5, 2017.”

The doctors’ demands include reinstatement and payment of the salaries and arrears of doctors employed in 2015 as well as correction and payment of arrears of doctors underpaid, among others.

The association had earlier suspended its 11-day old strike on May 13 so as to enable dialogue with state government.