BREAKING: Doctors may call-off strike

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, (NGF) on Saturday night brokered a truce with the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), to call off the one week strike, consequent upon which the doctors have agreed to suspend the action.

They have appealed to the doctors to call off the strike promising to sit in a week’s time and consider their grievances with a view to finding a lasting solution to their problems that are immediately possible for the Forum to tackle.

According to a statement issued by the NGF’s Head of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the doctors met with the entire executives of the NARD at the NGF Secretariat Abuja on Thursday at the instance of the Director General of the Forum, Mr. Asishana Bayo Okauru, where they met with the chairman of the NGF and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi and later the Governor of Oyo State, Ayo Makinde and expressed their grievances.

Bello-Barkindo said: “After listening to them, the NGF Chairman reminded the NARD executives of their Hippocratic oath and admonished them to always bring their conscience to the fore “because when you strike it is not the men in power that suffer but the common man on the streets.”

Fayemi commended the doctors for remaining in the country to serve in spite of the abundant opportunities and lucrative offers that await them abroad.

He, however, reminded them that government has always invested huge sums of money to train them and it would amount to a disservice to their fatherland to flee the country without giving their services in return.

The doctors, led by their president, Dr Aliyu Sokomba and their National Secretary Dr Bilkisu, promised to consult with their members and prevail on them to put their faith in the NGF and await the action of the governors on the matter.

According to Bello-Barkindo, “It is on that basis that the President reached out to the DG of the NGF this evening as they close the NARD meeting to announce that they are calling off the strike to allow the governors to address their complaints.”