Some staff of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Health have lamented how the President Bola Tinubu’s administration has withheld their salaries and allowances for the past six months.
The agencies include; the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria, the Institute of Chemist, the Pharmacist council of Nigeria, the Health records, the Medical laboratory council of Nigeria, and the Medical and dental council of Nigeria.
Others are; the Medical rehabilitation council, the Dental technology registration board, the Optometrists Board (ODORBN), the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria ( EHCON), the Institute public analysis of Nigeria and Environmental health practitioners of Nigeria.
According to Sahara Reporters, some of the personnel, lamented their inability to provide food for their households, payments of their children school fees, transport to their workplaces among others.
“The President Tinubu’s administration is not paying our salaries including allowances. We are at least 14 agencies under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health. This has been from January 2024 to date.
“We have not been paid our salaries and allowances, since January 2014 and we do not know the reason for the failure and delay from the part of the government to pay despite the unimaginable hardship we are subject to.
“I think the government should talk to us, let us know why our salaries are delayed,” one of them said.
“The President Tinubu administration earlier agreed to the “continuation of the Budgetary Allocation to the 14 agencies that were earlier defended under the Federal Ministry of Health & Social welfare.
“The question is, why then the delay in salaries & allowances in this hard time, where feeding is becoming a challenge to the common Nigerian?
“This is a sin against humanity and it is advised that this issue be attended to with immediate effect,” another worker said.
One of the representatives of the non-Academic Staff Union of education and association institution (NASU) while speaking with SaharaReporters called for an urgent intervention of the president to ensure that their salaries were disbursed without further delay.
He said; “We want to bring the attention of President Bola Tinubu to the critical issue of non-payment of salaries for the 13 health regulatory bodies under the Ministry of Health. In June 2023, we received a letter from the budget office of Nigeria indicating that we would no longer be funded from the government’s treasury.
“In response to this situation, the health regulatory bodies union chairmen formed a union to engage with the committee of Registrar CEOs of each regulatory body involved. We sought help from the Minister of Health, through whom we are granted a waiver from the federal government to remain in the government treasury. However, prior to obtaining the waiver, we were not permitted to submit our budget.
“In late March 2024, we were instructed by the budget office to resubmit our budget, which we promptly did. Unfortunately, till date, we have not received our salaries. This has put us in a difficult position as we have not been paid since January and we are unsure of how to cope.
“Your urgent intervention and assistance are needed to address this pressing matter and ensure that our salaries are disbursed without further delay.”
However, the Ministry of Health, Director of Information, Patricia Deworitshe, told SaharaReporters that the workers complaining and lamenting knew the proper channels to approach for their complaints.
“I am not aware of that, the workers complaining and lamenting knows the proper channels to go if actually they have not been paid their salary. They need to contact the Minister and Permanent Secretary. If they don’t notify them, how will anything be done about it?” she said.
Sahara Reporters
