Tinubu Tells Fashola To Sack Striking Lagos Doctors
LAGOS, Feb 23, (THEWILL) - Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bolaji Ahmed Tinubu today urged incumbent Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, to sack state dental and medical officers who resumed their suspended strike after the state government had acceded to their demand for wage increment last November.
Tinubu gave the advice at a Lagos State Government meeting with Christian Leaders in the state including the Methodist Church of Nigeria Prelate, Dr. Ola Makinde and Secretary General of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop George Amu amongst others, saying a vote for Fashola “is a vote for progress and development.”
At the meeting, Tinubu described the decision of the doctors as politically motivated and influenced by an opposition party in the state, saying it would be foolhardy for the state government to yield to their blackmail.
He said there “is no point dialoguing with them again, sack them and recruit other doctors. We have provided a conducive environment for them to work and yet they are still not satisfied. It is not compulsory you work for the state government if you are not comfortable.
“You can go to the federal government that pays more or other private establishments. We are not going to reinstate him (Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa) because the moment you subject the authority given by the constitution to blackmail, you are finished,” Tinubu stated.
Speaking at the meeting, Fashola said the lingering crisis persists not because government refused to increase the salary of the doctors but due to their persistence that government must implement 100 percent of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), which the government has approved by agreeing to a 95 percent increment.
“The doctors are not complaining about the environment where they work, we have provided a conducive environment, with well equipped facilities for them to work with but they are insisting that we pay what the federal government is paying its own doctors. Lagos has more doctors than federal doctors across the federation.
“We have increased the salary of doctors to 75 percent and what that implies is that the most junior doctors in the state today have their salary increase from N110, 000 to N170, 000 while a consultant now have their salary increased from N300, 000 to N700, 000,” stressing that as a governor of the state his salary monthly is N850, 000 while other members of the State Executive Council do not earn above N500, 000.
He flayed the doctors’ request for the reinstatement of Dr. Olaifa, adding that the situation was being politicized as the doctor in question was presently running for the House of Representative under the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state.