Updated: El-rufai dismisses all nurses below Grade Level 14 over strike

Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai has announced the dismissal of all nurses below Grade Level 14 in the state’s employment for taking part in what he described as the ongoing illegal strike.

The governor also alleged that some nurses disconnected oxygen from a two-day old baby in an incubator on Monday, May 17, 2021 at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, when they joined the National Labour Congress (NLC) strike.

Beside the dismissal, the governor also referred the nurses involved to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution.

This was contained in statement issued in Kaduna on Tuesday, the second day of the ongoing industrial action organised by NLC in the state.

The statement also advised the National President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba and his cohorts “to report to the Ministry of Justice and the Police Headquarters to make their statements.”

The statement issued by Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye on Tuesday, stated that the ‘’Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those dismissed.’’

According to the statement, the government has also directed all its Ministries, Departments and Agencies to submit their attendance registers to the Head of Service while Kaduna State University should submit same to the Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of Education.

Mr. Adekeye noted that salaries that could have been paid to the dismissed nurses would be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the health workers who are at their duty posts to fill the gap of those absconding from duty.

The statement acknowledged doctors and some other categories of health workers that are trying to run public health facilities, ‘’but regrets that some nurses have joined the unlawful strike and engaged in sabotage of some of our health facilities. Nurses were implicated in the forceful discharge of patients in many health facilities.’’

The government also warned that any academic staff of KASU that does not report for work will be dismissed, adding that government “We will not tolerate the brazen shutdown of electricity, attack on public infrastructure and buildings, locking up hospitals and forcefully discharging patients.’’

The Special Adviser likened “the actions of the NLC as equivalent to the actions of the bandits kidnapping and menacing our citizens. Bandits illegally use arms, but the NLC is deploying mob action for exactly the same ends.”

“Efforts to dress up criminal activity as industrial action do not change the reality of lawbreaking that has unfolded, including their persistently ignoring the prohibition against impeding essential services,’’ Adekeye said.

He reiterated that Ayuba Wabba and his senior confederates in the NLC have been “declared wanted, and will be vigorously prosecuted for violations of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, the Miscellaneous Offences and the Trade Dispute (Essential Services) Acts.”

“The statement advised Wabba and his cohorts “to report to the Ministry of Justice and the Police Headquarters to make their statements,” it stated.

Meanwhile, the protest turned violent yesterday as one person reportedly died in the process.

The incident occurred at about 12 noon around NEPA roundabout where the NLC president was to address the striking workers.

Trouble started when people suspected to be government thugs arrived the roundabout by Ahmed Bello Way, venue of the protest and attacked the peaceful protesters.

Eyewitness account and our reporter said the protesters started running widely without direction due to the attack while the Police tried to calm the thugs, as the NLC members started pushing their President into a vehicle to leave the scene, at that point the Police opened fire with tear gas and smoked rented the air resulting to chaos.

Ambulance was later sighted carry suspected injured victims while other protesters ran back and forth.