Just In: Kaduna Crisis Worsens As El-Rufai Fires All Nurses Below Level 14

Amid the ongoing strike to press Kaduna State State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, to rescind the mass sack of workers, the governor on Tuesday announced the dismissal of all nurses below level 14 in the state.

The governor’s action is linked to a tweet he made earlier when he stated that Barau Dikko Teaching hospital had reported that nurses disconnected oxygen from a two-day old baby in an incubator on Monday, May 17, 2021 when they joined the NLC strike.

However, a statement issued by Governor El-Rufai’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye said “apart from referring the nurses involved to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution, the government also announced the dismissal of all nurses below Grade Level 14 for the illegal strike.”

“The Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those dismissed,” the statement read.

“The government has directed all its Ministries, Departments and Agencies to submit their attendance registers to the Head of Service while Kaduna State University should submit same to the Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of Education.”

Adekeye noted that salaries that could have been paid to the dismissed nurses will be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the health workers who are at their duty posts to fill the gaps of those absconding from duty.