2nd September, 2015
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja declared his administration’s commitment to boosting national productivity, by among other things, taking all necessary actions to end incessant strikes by workers in vital sectors of the Nigerian economy.
At a meeting with the Permanent Secretary and Directors of the Federal Ministry of Labour, President Buhari said that he was particularly disturbed by the seemingly endless strikes in Nigeria’s health sector which have contributed to the fall in the standard of health services available in the country.
The President directed the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Clement Iloh and Directors in the Ministry of Labour to liaise with other stakeholders and quickly work out proposals for ending the recurring strikes in the health, education, transport, oil and gas, power and other critical sectors of the national economy.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was also present at the meeting, urged Dr. Iloh and his staff to make an input to ongoing plans for the extension of welfare services to poor and disabled persons.
Dr. Iloh had earlier attributed some of the recurrent strikes in the country to the inclination of some government officials to enter into agreements with financial implications without carrying the Ministries of Finance and Labour along.
He said that the Ministry of Labour has now introduced a Code of Conduct for Government Negotiators barring them from entering into agreements with financial implications without the consent of the President.