Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has ordered the termination of appointment of all nurses below grade level 14 in the state civil service over their decision to join ongoing Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) warning strike across the state.
In ensuring no vacuum was left behind by the sacked health workers, the governor also directed the state’s Ministry of Health to immediately advertise vacancies for the replacement of the dismissed nurses.
El-Rufai noted aside from those already affected through termination of appointment, any other workers found wanting and abandoned place of their primary assignments would be dismissed immediately.
Through a statement on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, the governor while justifying his action to sack the health workers, explained that aside from abandoning their duty post, the sacked nurses were implicated in the forceful discharge of patients in many health facilities.
According to him, while doctors and some other categories of health workers are trying to run public health facilities, some nurses have joined the unlawful strike and engaged in sabotage of some of our health facilities.
“Reports from Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital disclosed that some identified nurses disconnected the oxygen supply of a two-day-old baby in an incubator on Monday, 17th May 2021. The names of the three nurses from the Special Baby Care Unit who were involved in this despicable act have been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for attempted murder or murder in the event we lose the baby.
“The Ministry of Health will dismiss all nurses below GL 14 for going on an unlawful strike. Salaries that could have gone to them are to 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 Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those dismissed.
“Any academic staff of KASU (Kaduna State University) that does not report for work will be dismissed. The authorities of KASU are to submit a copy of the attendance register for all categories of staff daily to the Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of Education. All MDAs are also to submit daily copies of attendance register to the Head of Service,” the statement said.
