The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has described Nigerian doctors as irresponsible.The governor also took a swipe at the National Assembly, saying that the lawmakers are only interested in nonsensical actions.
Governor El-Rufai spoke yesterday in Abuja at a ‘Governance Matters’ roundtable organised by Development Alternative Incorporation, DAI.
El-Rufai said that it is only in Nigeria that doctors will abandon their duty posts and embark on strike for whatever reason.
According to him, “I think the health unions have been the most irresponsible because only an irresponsible doctor will abandon his patients even after swearing to the Hippocratic Oath.
“I think Nigerian doctors are the only ones on the planet that go on strike.“We have submitted our report on true federalism and it will be taken to the National Assembly. We hope the National Assembly will stop dealing with inanities and deal with the real issues.”
There were also harsh words for trade unions in general. El-rufai called them selfish.
“Trade Unions have never served the country well. They have been selfish and everything is about their narrow interests. In general, in Nigeria, trade unions have been a danger to our progress and I think they should be curtailed.
“The mistake we made as a country was placing trade unions in the Exclusive Legislative List. If the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has an issue with the federal government, then the State universities will go on strike too.
“In Kaduna, I warned the Kaduna State University, that if ‘you ever go on strike again because of somebody else, I will fire all of you. I think we need to do some things.
“First, take labour matters out of the Exclusive List because many of us are victims of agreements reached with ASUU by the federal government. The States were never part of such agreements.
“Secondly, is the issue of minimum wage. Except we set a very low minimum wage, there will continue to be issues especially with States that do not have wide tax net. You cannot set the same minimum wage for Lagos and Jigawa”.