The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria has lauded the President Bola Tinunu over the sacking of the Vice-Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof Bernard Udoh, and Registrar, Mrs Rosemary Nwokike.
The association, which had been on strike since Monday over Udoh’s appointment, however, said it would not call off the seven-day warning strike until the National Executive Council meets on Friday.
The National President of MDCAN, Prof Muhammad Muhammad, said the decisions made at the NEC meeting on Friday would determine the association’s next line of action.
He said, “We are excited that one of our demands have been met. This is really impressive, and we are happy about it.
“We just met with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Dr Ipalibo Banigo, today (Wednesday), and she appealed to us to consider the public, and promised to meet with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education on all our demands by next week.
“We are also meeting with the Ministry of Labour and Employment Thursday.
After the meeting with the Ministry of Labour, the NEC can then schedule a meeting for Friday to know what to do next.”
MDCAN had embarked on a seven-day warning strike to press home its demands, including the sacking of the UNIZIK VC.
The strike, which commenced on Monday, grounded medical activities in 83 health facilities and 64 medical schools across the country.
The association had earlier protested the exclusion of medical lecturers from appointment as UNIZIK VC.
It demanded that the Federal Government should relieve the Chairman of the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University of his appointment as council chairman, for his insubordination and to enforce the Ministry of Education’s directive nullifying any appointments subsequent to their directives; and to develop an all-inclusive prototype of advertisement for the Office of Vice-Chancellor.
Other demands are the harmonisation of the retirement age of Medical Consultants to 70 years; the harmonisation of payment of emoluments of the Consolidated Salary Structure to ensure universal applicability of CONMESS to all Medical and Dental officers; and the payment of 2023 and 2024, Clinical Duty Allowance areas, and 2023 25 per cent/35 per cent CONMESS arrears.
Bowing to pressure on Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu dissolved the Governing Council of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State, and removed its new VC, Prof Odoh and registrar, Nwokike.
He also approved the removal of Ohieku Salami as the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the governing council of the Federal University of Health Sciences in Otukpo, Benue State.
A statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, titled ‘President Tinubu sacks Nnamdi Azikiwe University Council, VC and Registrar’, noted that, “The sacking of the governing council and officials followed reports that the council illegally appointed an unqualified vice-chancellor without following due process.