Buhari: Health workers” incessant strikes disturbing

President Muhammadu Buhari says he is particularly disturbed by the seemingly endless strikes in the country’s health sector. The president regretted that the situation had contributed to the fall in the standard of health services available in the country. Buhari was speaking at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday while meeting with […]

President Muhammadu Buhari says he is particularly disturbed by the seemingly endless strikes in the country’s health sector.

The president regretted that the situation had contributed to the fall in the standard of health services available in the country.

Buhari was speaking at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday while meeting with top officials of the Ministry of Labour.

He said his administration was committed to boosting national productivity by, among other things, taking all necessary measures to end incessant strikes by workers in vital sectors of the Nigerian economy.

He therefore directed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Clement Illoh and other directors to liaise with other stakeholders and quickly work out proposals for ending the recurring strikes in the health, education, transport, oil and gas, power and other critical sectors of the national economy.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was also present at the meeting, urged Illoh and his staff to make an input to ongoing plans for the extension of welfare services to poor and disabled persons.

The presidential aide said the permanent secretary had earlier attributed some of the recurrent strikes in the country to the inclination of some government officials to enter into agreements with financial implications without carrying the Ministries of Finance and Labour along.

The permanent secretary was also quoted as saying that his ministry had now introduced a "Code of Conduct for Government Negotiators" barring them from entering into agreements with financial implications without the consent of the president.