The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Tajudeen Abbas, has expressed optimism that resident doctors would suspend strike if some of their demands are met.
He made the expression in Abuja while speaking with State House correspondents on the issue, after introducing members of the new leadership of the House to President Tinubu.
Recall that the leadership of the House of Representatives had persuaded resident doctors not to embark on strike, but that persuasion was ignored.
Realising the negative impact of the strike, the Speaker of the House, Alhaji Tajudeen Abbas, rushed to President Tinubu for solution, upon which the President asked the House to plead with the striking doctors to withdraw their action and give him time to study their concern and find a way around it.
“What he said was that he was just coming on board. We should ask and beg them to please give us a little more time. Most of the things they mentioned, he is completely unaware of them. He is yet to be briefed about all those issues. But from what he heard from me, he also advised that we should channel all those issues to his Chief of Staff for him to look at them one after the other. I believe within the next coming days, some concerted actions will be taken”, he explained.
On the notice of protest given by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress,TUC, the Speaker said they would persuade them to also suspend their action.
Meanwhile, the 2 unions have threatened to go ahead with the protest on Wednesday, next week, across the country, to draw attention to the suffering the removal of fuel subsidy had brought to bear on Nigerians, if the government fails to roll out the palliatives pledged.
Briefing newsmen on their stance at the meeting with the government’s steering committee on palliatives, the President of the TUC, Mr Felix Osifo, said the committee had agreed to study the areas the unions were disagreed with in the committee’s presentation and get back to them on Friday.
“What we want government to do is to address the plight of Nigerians. Nigerians are suffering, things are hard, things are difficult. All we are saying is that government must, as a matter of urgency, roll out various programmes that will create alternative to PMS, that is about the CNG and also the palliatives that must be brought out to ameliorate these sufferings Nigerians are passing through”, Mr. Osifo stressed.
He expressed the hope that the unions’ meeting with the government’s steering committee on Friday, this week, would produce the desired results.
