By Andrew Ajijah
The chairman, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Plateau State council, Comrade Badung Dalop, has said the Federal Government is only paying lip service to the welfare of civil servants.
“It is sad that five months after His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari assented the Act establishing a new national minimum wage in Nigeria, it is yet to be implemented under the guise of consequential adjustments.”
Comrade Badung stated this, on Tuesday, through the vice chairman of MHWUN, John Shirbe, during his valedictory speech at the 5th Quadrennial Delegate Conference of MHWUN, holding, in Jos.
According to the outgoing MHWUN official, the proposed 30,000 minimum wage salary was nothing to write home about, considering the present economic situation facing Nigerians.
“Government plans to pay the new wage with the right hand and take it back with the left.”
He, however, commended President Buhari for rejecting the proposed Bill to privatise the health sector.
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He stressed that if the said bill was implemented, the low income earners in Nigerian would not be able to assess and pay for medical services as it would be exorbitant.
“I wish to commend the President Muhammadu Buhari for rejecting the evil baby that is being forced to be born to Nigerians in the name of privatisation for better healthcare system.”
Declaring the two-day event open, the Head of Service in Plateau State, Izam Azi, assured the workers of government commitment in handling their welfare.
Mr. Izam implored MHWUN to always engage in dialogue, rather than confrontations.
The Plateau State Head of Service also admonished the incoming executive of the union to work in harmony with those who might lost the elections.
Various speakers at the quadrennial conference, including representative of the NUJ, the union’s Secretary Peter Amine advised incoming officials to work in harmony with government policies and programme for development to strive.
