Arewa Youths State Position On Buhari Not Handing Over To Osinbajo

The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, AYCF, on Thursday reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to transmit power to his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo before embarking on his latest medical trip to London.

AYCF National President, Yerima Shettima said it would be abnormal for Buhari not to handover power to Osinbajo, if he would not return soon.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Shettima, however, noted that it’s only normal, if he would return soon.

According to the AYCF National President, “I do not subscribe to that, but it depends on the medical trip. Is he going to be staying longer, or he would be back immediately?

“If he is not coming back immediately, then it’s abnormal, but if he is coming back soon, then there is nothing wrong.

“After all, he is not the first president we have seen in the country. We have seen other presidents who have acted in that capacity, who did not transmit power while travelling in the name of medicals and they come back to continue their work, so his case is not exceptional.

“I don’t hold brief for him, but I don’t think it’s anything special.”

Buhari departed Nigeria for the United Kingdom, UK, for his medical checkup on Tuesday afternoon.

The president had on severally occasions embarked on routine medical tourism away from the country, since assuming power in 2015.

The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Action (MOA) with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to avert the union’s planned nationwide strike.

NAN reports that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the end of a meeting with NARD on Thursday in Abuja.

NARD had threatened to commence a nationwide strike on April 1, accusing the Federal Government of reneging on the agreements it reached with the union.

The doctors’ grievances include the non-payment of salaries of between three to five months to some house officers and the non-recruitment of house officers.

Others are the abolishment of the bench fees for doctors undergoing training in other hospitals, and the non-payment of National Minimum Wage and hazard allowances to doctors.

Addressing newsmen Ngige said that the deliberations were fruitful and that all the things written in the MoA would be implemented.

“Hopefully, by tomorrow you will experience the payment as agreed here for the second category of doctors, who are an overflow of the quota of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

“By the time the Chairman of the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) comes up with his final list and harmonise it with that of the MDCN, we would not have issue anymore over this payment or whether some doctors have not been paid,” he said.

Ngige noted that timelines had also been put on other issues raised by the doctors.

He said that both parties would reconvene in one month’s time for reassessment of the given assignments.

“With this MoA, we hope you (NARD executives) get to your members to let them understand better that government has moved proactively to address most of the issues ahead of your coming.

“We are happy that you understand and so I give you assurance that most of the things written here will be done.

“We will assist the Federal Ministry of Health, the Finance Ministry and the Office of Accountant General of the Federation to make sure that they keep their own side of the bargain,’’ the minister said.

The ongoing industrial action embarked on by workers in Taraba State has no doubt begun to negatively affect the people as financial institutions spread across the State have been shut down.

Apart from the banks that the workers have succeeded in picketing, plans, as gathered by DAILY POST, have been concluded to close down markets spread across the state.

The situation which is beginning to cause untold hardship on the people, as noticed by our state correspondent, would no doubt mar the dreams of the people celebrating the Christian feast of Easter.

Some persons who bared their minds to our correspondent said their plans to celebrate Easter in grand style have turned out to be a mirage as all efforts to make withdrawals have failed.

Describing the situation as “terrible” a visibly dejected Stella Uzodinma claimed that she has been frustrated by the “strike because as I am talking with you now, I am still unable to access my bank because of the strike.”

Wondering how she and her family would mark “the death and resurrection of Christ”, which, according to her, are “both slated for this weekend,” she said, “could you believe that this strike has shattered all my plans for Easter?”

Also piqued by the development, Sule Ali, who had earlier planned to travel to the nearby state of Adamawa alongside his family members agreed that his dream had been dashed by the ongoing strike.

Ali said, “My brother, the situation is terrible because my earlier plans to travel to my home town in Adamawa state have been frustrated not by the workers but by the state government that has been insensitive to the plights of our workers.”

Citing the way and manners resources meant for the people of the state have continued to be diverted by politicians, a top civil servant who sought anonymous, expressed dismay at the “deliberate refusal of the government under the leadership of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku” to extend an olive branch to the workers.

Also apportioning blames to the government, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who also sought pen protection, said the “attitude of our governor towards workers would definitely affect our party’s performance in the forthcoming elections.”

When reached for comments, the State Head of Service, Mrs Susan Nathan, attached the outbreak of COVID-19 to the apron string of government’s inability to meet up with the numerous demands of the workers, among which include the non-implementation of the N30,000 national minimum wage.

She added that government “is not insensitive to the workers’ demands as the governor is very passionate about workers welfare.”

She said the state government “has been having series of meetings with the workers.”

Susan who took steps further to admonish the workers to embrace dialogue as the surest way of actualizing their demands, is optimistic that both the workers and the government would soon resolve their differences.