Abia Information Commissioner Draws Attention Of Abians To The False Claims Of NMA, ABSUTH
The Abia State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Barr Eze Chikamnayo, has drawn the attention of Abians to the false claims of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Abia State and the ABSUTH.
In a Press Statement signed by the Commissioner, Barr Eze Chikamnayo and made available to Newsmen, he frowned at the brazen dereliction of duty, callous negligence and utter denigration of the lives of innocent citizens by members of the NMA, ABSUTH.
He said it became pertinent for government to publicly address the avalanche of erroneous impressions being bandied by some self serving politicians masquerading as Doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association , Abia State and ABSUTH.
Read Full Statement 👇👇👇
PRESS STATEMENT
WHAT ABIANS, NIGERANS AND INDEED ALL WELL MEANING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED CUM FALSE CLAIMS OF THE NIGERIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, ABIA STATE AND ABSUTH.
In view of the brazen dereliction of duty, callous negligence and utter denigration of the lives of innocent citizens, it has become necessary for Government to publicly address the avalanche of erroneous impressions being bandied by some self serving politicians masquerading as Doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association , Abia State and ABSUTH.
First, if the politicians in NMA, Abia State and the lazy unpatriotic saboteur Doctors in ABSUTH have a modicum of self respect, they will admit to the FACT that despite being willfully absent from work for a whooping 35 months between 2015 when Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu took Office, and now, a total of 11,444,043,333 ( Eleven Billion, Four Hundred and Forty Four Million, Forty Three Thousand and Three hundred and Thirty Three Naira only) of Abia Tax payers money has been paid to Doctors in ABSUTH.
Infact, as at 2015, when this administration was just three months as Government, we paid these recalcitrant Doctors 11 months Salaries in bulk from the backlog they accumulated from their habitual dispute with previous administrations.
As at that time, when we thought that we were dealing with sincere humans, they advanced three demands viz :
– Construction of the deplorable ABSUTH Road
– purchase of vital equipment and
– payment of salaries.
In his avowed determination to put smiles on the faces of Abia Doctors and citizens, the Rebuilder of Abia State, Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu proceeded to tackle these issues headlong.
First, he completely reconstructed the ABSUTH Road with rigid Pavement Technology thus permanently solving the perennial problem of access to ABSUTH.
Secondly, Governor Ikpeazu provided two (2) Container loads of Equipment and substantially solved the problem as presented.
Thirdly, Government started the regular payment of salaries to the mostly idle Doctors in ABSUTH until, unfortunately, the sudden advent of the Covid 19 Pandemic , Endsars and sit at homes with it’s attendant economic setbacks.
As a responsible Government, we continued to engage the Doctors on salaries and on three occasions, Governor Ikpeazu authoritzed the payment of lump sums to ensure that normalcy is quickly restored to the salary regimen.
As we speak, these unpatriotic Doctors after collecting all these monies belonging to Abians with a promise to resume work and help revive the ailing Parastatal have abstained from work more than 70 percent of the months they claim as outstanding !..and this dereliction of duty is a clear breach of mutual agreements they entered into with Government and an act of deliberate mischief aimed at instigating dispute purely to cast aspersions on Government for political purposes.
Just few days ago, Government yet again provided ( 420 million ) Four Hundred and Twenty Million Naira representing 3 months of the salary arrears they mostly did not work for, yet, instead of resuming work in the interest of our dear citizens and the ailing ABSUTH, these unpatriotic folks are bent on blatant blackmail at the expense of Abia lives.
By refusing to allow forensic audit for Staff while latching in on legalistic posturing to strangle ABSUTH despite the billions of Naira already expanded in equipment, access roads and servicing of accumulated salaries predating this Government, the public is hereby implored to to hold the political Abia NMA responsible while resisting the futile attempts of some self serving ABSUTH Doctors who should be held to account over the intractable challenges of ABSUTH.
We have it on good authority that some members of the Abia NMA , indeed, signed a pact with one of the Governorship Candidates to execute the contract of instigating civil unrest with the camouflage of ABSUTH and Doctors strikes ahead of the upcoming elections . That is why they are bent on brigandage despite the honest, concerted efforts of Government to address the issues they raised.
Government is, therefore , left with no other option than to activate the relevant clauses relating to no work , no pay as enshrined in their contract to recover the funds wrongly paid for the period of 43 months ABSUTH Workers collected public monies they did not work for. The above clarification is now required to address this obvious case of insubordination and arm twisting .
This clear case of unpatriotism and sabotage by unscrupulous hirelings within the Abia NMA is inspite of the huge investments of Government to train and retrain Doctors and. assuge what has now become an obviously insatiable , shameless demands of blackmailers masquerading as unionists and Doctors.
Barr Eze Chikamnayo
Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy Abia State
January 12 2023.
