By Dawud Ahmed in Lokoja.
Some of the out patients that turned up to see medical doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja but could not achieve their aim due to the strike.
Patients who arrived at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, Kogi State, on Monday for medical treatment were left stranded as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) commenced their strike in the state.
Our correspondent, who visited the hospital at around 9 a.m., reported that apart from a few nurses and ward attendants, other staff were not working at the time of this report.
Findings revealed that patients with critical health conditions were contemplating self-discharge to seek treatment in private hospitals. Medical doctors and nursing students on internship were seen discussing the situation in groups.
Some medical staff disclosed to our correspondent that union officials had visited the hospital, warning them to comply with the directive to join the strike.
Relatives of patients in the hospital called on the federal government and the organized labour to reach an amicable resolution to prevent avoidable deaths.
The strike also affected other public institutions, including banks, where customers were unable to conduct transactions. At the Federal University, Lokoja, students complained that their lecturers refused to teach them.
The current power outage in parts of Lokoja not withstanding, feelers from the regional office,Lokoja revealed that the staff were warming up to join for total black out in the state.
At the state secretariat, a scant number of civil servants were seen at their offices, waiting for instructions from union members to join the strike.
The strike has not made significant negative impact on the private sector of the economy at the time of this report as operators of many business outfits in Lokoja and its environs opened shops for business as usual.
However, Lokoja , the state capital,remained peaceful as at the time of this report.
The NLC/TUC commenced the indefinite strike at midnight on June 3 to press for a minimum wage increase. Initially, the labour demanded a minimum wage of N615,000, then reduced it to over N400,000, but the federal government settled for N60,000.
The tripartite meeting between the labour and the federal government failed to reach a compromise, resulting in an indefinite strike. A meeting between the National Assembly leadership and the NLC and TUC ended without resolution, paving the way for a nationwide strike.
The meeting, presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajuddeen Abbas, aimed to persuade the labour to shelve its planned action. Despite appeals, TUC President Festus Osifo stated that the strike would commence as planned, pending discussions with their organs.
“The Senate President appealed to us to call off the strike. But we can’t sit here and call off the strike because we have other organs. We will take the appeals to our various organs. We don’t have the powers to call off the strike. For now, the strike will commence while we discuss with our organs,” Osifo told newsmen after the meeting.
The meeting was attended by top government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Budget and National Planning. Meanwhile, aviation unions have announced their intention to join the strike and withdraw services at airports.
