Patients, especially those in the rural communities, including the nursing mothers are having serious challenges in accessing healthcare services as a result of the ongoing strike embarked upon by the workers of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory.

The workers under the umbrella of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) as well as the teachers in the six area councils resumed the strike last month over non-implementation of N70,000 national minimum wage by area councils’ chairmen.

Abuja Metro reports that the council chairmen have refused to speak to the press on the lingering crisis between the councils and the workers regarding the implementation as well as the payment of other allowances.

Efforts by both the two ministers of the FCT, Nyesom Wike and Hajiya Maryam Mahmud, to resolve the crisis have yielded no result.

Many of the chairmen reportedly boycotted a dialogue meeting earlier called by the FCT Minister of State, Hajiya Maryam Mahmud, to resolve the crisis.

Patients groan

Abuja Metro visited some of the health centres across the six area councils, where it was observed that many of them had been under lock and key.

In many of the centres, some patients, especially nursing mothers, who came to immunise their new born babies were forced to turn home.

At the maternity health centre in Abaji, our reporter observed as the centre remained shut with no single health worker present.

A pregnant woman, Mrs Zainab Mohammed, who came by bike to see medical personnel at the centre, was forced to return home after she saw that the centre was under lock and key.

 The woman said she resides around the Kekeshi area of the town and has been using the centre for her ante-natal, adding that the closure of the centre is going to affect many of them in such condition.

“I first visited a health centre at low-cost housing and discovered that it was shut, before I decided to take bike to the maternity centre so that I can meet with any of the medical personnel to attend to me because I could not sleep last night due to waist pain. And unfortunately, on getting here, again, the centre was also shut,” she said.

A health worker at the centre, who resides close to the centre, Mrs Amina Bala, told our reporter that the centre did not open for service due to the ongoing strike over the non- implementation of the new minimum wage.

At the Kwali Township Clinic, the centre was also under lock and key, while patients who came to see medical personnel were forced to turn home.

Mrs Gladys Gambo, a nursing mother, who came to the clinic with her newborn baby strapped to her back for immunisation, said she had to leave after she was told that the health workers were on strike.

“I came this morning, being Thursday, hoping to see if I can meet with any of the immunisation officers but discovered that the clinic has been shut down,’’ she said.

Also, at Gwagwalada, the township clinic was also not opened with dust and pure water polythene bags littering its frontage.

Some patients, including staff, were seen seated in front of the clinic’s corridor discussing the strike.

A nursing mother, Mrs Maryam Yakubu, who came to the clinic with her newborn baby for immunisation, was also forced to return home after she was told that the clinic was not open.

Mrs Yakubu, who spoke with our reporter, said she came to the clinic for immunisation but there was no officer to attend to her.

“Actually, I was put to bed at a private hospital some weeks ago, from where they asked me to come to this township clinic to immunise the child but unfortunately, on getting to the clinic this morning, it was shut down. I was told that the workers are on strike,” she said.

She added, “Now, I have to go back home and my husband is not at home, which means I have to call him on phone to let him know the situation of things before taking any decision.’’

A community health worker at the centre, Samson Iliya, said the ongoing strike has been affecting patients in the area, adding that many patients suffering from various ailments, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, high blood pressure and diabetes were not being attended to.

He said, “Several patients, including nursing mothers, who came this morning with their babies for immunisation were turned back due to the strike.”

A medical personnel at the clinic, who preferred anonymity, said the workers decided to embark on the strike due to the failure of the council chairmen to implement the new wage.

“The truth is that nobody is happy to see health workers going on strike because health is ahead of everything but we have no option than to embark on the strike as directed by NULGE to press home our demand,” he said.

Workers begin protest today

The Gwagwalada Area Council chapter of the #Take-It-Back Movement# has thrown its weight behind the joint unions of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), FCT Chapter, and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT Wing, ahead of the mass protest scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2025.

The workers are protesting over non implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage and other entitlements by the six area council chairmen.

Abuja Metro had reported that the workers earlier fixed Wednesday, April 23 for the protest but was shifted to Thursday, April 24.

Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday in Gwagwalada, the leader of the #Take -It -Back -Movement, Comrade Manasseh Ben Paul, declared that the planned protest was not just another protest but a “Thunderous declaration” against what he described as “Broken promises and deliberate neglect” of the area councils’ workers and the primary school teachers in the FCT.

He said it was unfortunate that the council chairmen had turned their workers and primary school teachers to beggars.

“These council chairmen have turned the workers and primary school teachers to beggars. Besides, teachers are the architects of communities and the guardians of our children’s futures,” he said.

According to him, the workers’ demands are clear and non-negotiable.

The Take-It-Back Movement warned that if the chairmen fail to meet the workers’ demands by the end of April, there will be mass mobilisation to shut down the six area councils and the FCTA.

Council chairs mum

The Chairman of Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chiya, who often speaks on behalf of the council chairmen in his capacity as FCT ALGON chairman, had been refusing to talk to our correspondent on the issue.

Several calls put across to his line yesterday were not answered nor did he respond to text messages earlier sent to him.

Other area council chairmen also refused to talk on the issue. One of them referred our reporter to the FCT ALGON chairman, who he said, is the only one that can speak on the issue.

[DailyTrust]