NEWS
Kogi Doctors Protest Manpower Shortage at Federal Teaching Hospital
The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja (FTHL),on Friday, protested the alleged shortage of manpower and work overload at the hospital.
The ARD members, who marched round the hospital premises, decried the shortage of manpower and overwork load on their members.
The doctors displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “We want to work, not to work and die,” “Don’t kill us, stop using no work no pay to threaten us,” and “Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja doctors are dying of help, among others.
The Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Kogi Chapter, Dr Olushola Baoku, who joined the protest, said the doctors were completely overworked without commensurate wages.
“The doctors are angry and sad and of course in extension, NMA is sad because of the event that is actually taking place in Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja.
“We have communicated to the management three times in the last three months concerning the burning issues.
“We have hoped that the management of hospital would have found a middle ground in resolving all these issues.
“People can not be on duty for 48 hours and there will be no food to eat. What if they collapse? Somebody resuscitating another can collapse.
“I can’t imagine that with all the things Mr President has put in place about workers, there are some doctors who are not getting the 35,000 wage award,” he said..
He expressed concern over how doctors were being casualised on a platform called GIFMIS with so many problems going on in the hospital.
He said: “We are also aware that FTHL which has about 500 beds that runs on over 200 doctors before, now runs 64 doctors as resident doctors.
“Before these doctors will go and die one after the other or shut down the system, the federal government should quickly intervene and bring this problem to a reasonable end”.
Baoku urged the management of FTHL to urgently address the issues of manpower shortage as well as improvement in the working conditions of the resident doctors.
In a swift reaction, management of FTHL has denied ARD’s lpallegations.
Dr Ebune Ojochide, the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) of FTHL, said the issue of manpower shortage in health sector remained a major challenge across the entire country as a result of the “Japa syndrome”.
Ojochide said the doctors needed to understand that there was administrative due process in the recruitment and replacement of workers into the federal institutions.
According to him, the Federal Government had put on hold the recruitment of workers in Nigeria including the health sector.
He said FTHL could not recruit without the approval from the relevant authority.
“An health institution like ours, cannot recruit without the approval of the federal government with the necessary cash backing to recruit.
“The management of the hospital has no power to recruit without the legal backing. If you recruit, it will be illegal, null and void.
“The recruitment of shortage of power affects the whole health institution in the country.
“Until we have the mandate and approval of the federal government to recruit medical staff, we cannot do it because there will be no cash backing,” he said.
He explained that the management of the FTHL in the interim, had a temporary arrangement of bringing in local medical officers to fill some of the manpower gaps.
“We cannot afford to let the services collapse because doctors are leaving the country due to Japa syndrome.
“The salaries of the local staff and entitlement are being paid as and when due.
“Except that it is not a permanent employment until the federal government gives the approval to convert them as a permanent staff.
“So, this is the interim measure that has been taken by the hospital management to bridge the manpower shortage gaps.
“There are two platforms upon which staff are recruited in the Federal Government personnel management which are IPPIS and Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
“The IPPIS is a platform for regular staff that were employed on permanent basis and are pensionable while the GIFMIS is a platform for those temporary or non regular staff,” he said.
He stressed that the local staff on GIFIMS platform would also have the opportunity to be converted to permanent staff whenever the federal government gave the approval for recruitment.
“So, it is not casualisation of staff as alleged by the ARD, but just an interim measure to fill the manpower shortage gaps which is the only option we have to keep the services going,” he said.
On the issue of call meal, Ojochide said the provision of call meal was an incentive by the management of FTHL to encourage staff who on call, saying, “it is the prerogative of the hospital management and not the right of staff”.
He noted that the call meal was suspended by the hospital because of the sudden change of vendors by the ARD without following due process.
He insisted that the management was responsible for the payment for call meal and the ARD should have communicated to the management before disengaging the vendor which was not their prerogative.
“So, the hospital management did not stop their call meal, but the ARD disengaged the vendor without the approval of the hospital management”.
Ojochide, therefore reaffirmed the commitment of the hospital management to continue to deliver quality healthcare services to the people of the state and Nigeria at large.
Reports says that the ARD had embarked on the protest since on Thursday and vowed to continue the protest on daily basis until their demands were met.
There were presence of heavy security personnel at the hospital premises which the management said was to ensure the safety of lives and property, and to prevent the break down of law and order. (NAN)
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will step down from his cabinet position if President Bola Tinubu fails to secure victory in both the FCT and Rivers State in the upcoming 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an engagement with leadership and members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja, Wike stated that his continued tenure as a cabinet minister is directly tied to his ability to deliver political results for the president in his primary areas of influence.
Setting a specific timeline, the Minister announced that should the ruling party lose in the FCT and Rivers State at the presidential poll scheduled for January 16, 2027, he will formally tender his resignation the very next day.
“If I cannot deliver where I work, then I’m not worthy to be here,” Wike said, emphasizing that his political mandate requires concrete electoral success.
“If I lose FCT, I’m not supposed to be FCT Minister. By January 17, 2027, I will announce my resignation as FCT Minister should the President lose in Rivers State and the FCT,” he stressed.
Outlining his political strategy for the territory, Wike revealed that the administration is building a multi-party coalition to secure victory across various elective offices in the FCT.
He explicitly endorsed candidates across legislative tiers while reiterating total support for the president’s re-election bid.
“Let us be clear on direction: for the Presidency, it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu! For the Senate, Philip Aduda is a man of the people, unlike those who only appear on television. The two House of Representatives candidates we are supporting are also here. They are former Area Council chairmen.
“In the FCT, we are running a unified coalition across parties to deliver results.
“If I cannot deliver FCT as Minister, then I am not qualified to hold this office. We have a firm agreement, and today is the final affirmation.”
The announcement comes amid ongoing efforts by the FCT Administration to resolve the long-standing relocation and land allocation exercise for thousands of traders and mechanics operating within the Apo Mechanic Village corridor.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for candidates with outstanding admission offers from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises to Nov. 30, 2026.
JAMB spokesman, Dr.
Fabian Benjamin, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.Benjamin said the extension followed the temporary unavailability of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) for about 96 hours.
He said the extension would give affected candidates a final opportunity to either accept or reject their outstanding admission offers.
“The Board has approved Nov. 30, 2026 as the final deadline for candidates in this category to indicate whether they wish to accept or reject their outstanding admission offers,” he said.
He recalled that the Board extended the deadline to Sept. 30, 2026, adding that the recent disruption to CAPS necessitated the further extension.
Benjamin warned that candidates who failed to act by Nov. 30 would no longer be allowed to accept or reject the outstanding offers within the current window.
“Any subsequent request to update an admission record relating to these previous years will attract the applicable penalty fee,” he said.
He said candidates whose admissions were not on the matriculation list could face difficulties accessing benefits, including participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
The spokesman advised all affected candidates to take action before the deadline rather than wait until the last day.
He said candidates who accepted their offers would be able to print their admission letters, while those who rejected them would have their dashboards reverted to “Not Admitted”.
According to him, the process would enable JAMB to update its records and ensure that the national admission database accurately reflected candidates’ current status.
Benjamin said candidates no longer studying at the institutions where they were offered admission could accept the offer and later apply for correction or deletion, where applicable.
He added that candidates currently pursuing a second degree programme, but still having an unaccepted admission offer from a previous year could reject the old offer and continue with their current programme.
“Candidates who have been offered admission in the 2026 admission exercise but still have an outstanding admission offer from an earlier year have no cause for apprehension.
“Such candidates may reject the previous admission offer, and doing so will not affect their 2026 admission,” he said.
Benjamin said the extension was also aimed at helping JAMB maintain accurate and reliable national admission records.
He reiterated that Nov. 30, 2026 was the final deadline for accepting or rejecting outstanding admissions from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises.
“At the expiration of the deadline, all outstanding admission offers from these years that have neither been accepted nor rejected will automatically revert to ‘Not Admitted’ status on the Board’s records,” he said.
He urged all affected candidates to take immediate action, stressing that failure to accept an admission offer within the stipulated period could render the offer invalid.(NAN)
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Board of Directors of the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) has inspected the ongoing maintenance and rehabilitation works at Taraku Mills Limited, ahead of the planned test run of the factory.
The inspection, led by the Group Managing Director of BIPC, Dr.
Raymond Asemakaha, CFA, provided members of the Board with an opportunity to assess the level of work carried out at the facility and preparations for the commencement of operations.Conducting the Board around the factory, Dr. Asemakaha explained the progress made so far and assured that the facility would be test-run during the weekend as part of efforts to prepare the mill for full-scale production.
The Board Chairman, Lady Elizabeth M.N. Shuluwa, commended the GMD, the technical team and staff of Taraku Mills for their commitment and dedication towards restoring the facility to productive use.
Lady Shuluwa also expressed appreciation to the Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for his support and commitment to the revival of the state’s industrial assets.
She called on the people of Benue State to support the efforts to revive Taraku Mills and other state-owned industries, stressing the importance of collective ownership and support for initiatives aimed at creating jobs, boosting economic activities and improving the state’s industrial base.
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