* Give Wike ultimatum to recall 127 sacked health workers
The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has announced the commencement of a three-day warning strike, starting on Tuesday, 6 May 2025.
The doctors reached the decision to embark during an emergency congress meeting held on Monday at Asokoro District Hospital, Abuja.
The President of the FCT ARD, Dr George Ebong, said the strike became necessary as 127 health workers were dismissed by the FCT Civil Service Commission last Friday without due process.
He described the dismissals as inhumane and unlawful, demanding their immediate reinstatement alongside the prompt payment of their April salaries.
He further called for the immediate resignation of the chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Mr. Emeka Ezeh.
Dr Ebong, speaking on behalf of the doctors, warned that if their demands are not met by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration within three days, they would embark on an indefinite strike and shut down hospitals across the nation’s capital.
“We are embarking on a three-day warning strike because most of the members were disengaged from service on Friday without due diligence. They were labelled as ghost workers, ex-employees, and absconders when, in fact, these colleagues of ours are still in the system working even until now. We are livid that the FCTA service commission will carry out such an inhuman decision without talking to the health management board, permanent secretary of health, association of resident doctors, or Medical and Dental Consultant Association of Nigeria, MDCAN. It is not just doctors that are affected—nurses, pharmacists, and lab scientists, including non- clinical workers are affected too.
“The managing directors of these hospitals are not aware. In fact, three MDs are affected; 127 health workers are affected. If these numbers are ghost workers, so how do these hospitals operate? The hospitals would have collapsed. What is the staff strength of FCT hospitals?
“The affected health workers’ salaries were stopped without any prior notice. The salaries for last month. This is a clear act of insensitivity and injustice to health workers.
“We demand immediate salary payment for all the affected health workers; apologies letter to the affected health workers; and the immediate resignation of the chairman of the service commission, Mr. Emeka Ezeh.
“It is a three-day warning starting from tomorrow, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 8 am, and if within the space of three days (which is Friday, May 9, 2025), our demands are not met, we will go on an indefinite strike after an appraisal,” he stated.
The emergency congress meeting was attended by over 120 doctors, both physically and virtually.