Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has been terrorising medical doctors in the state-owned health institutions in the last four months. Salaries of the doctors have been stopped. This harassment must stop. The offence of the doctors was daring to ask for full salary payments. This was after the governor collected N39billion bailout from the federal government, specifically to offset backlog of salaries. While other civil servants in the state were intimidated into accepting half salaries, the doctors refused to be intimidated and went on strike. As a result, Aregbesola has been issuing all sorts of threats, including sack if they refused to resume work. For now, the doctors are being owed between six and eight months’ salaries.
The President of the Association of Resident Doctors at the Ladoke
Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Dr. Adeyinka Owolabi stated:
“We can never accept half salaries because we are not going to give our
patients half treatment. The government is adamant and we are also not
going to shift ground on this. Doctors will reconsider their position if
the state government will sign a document that it owes doctors and
state when the balance would be paid.” Obviously, the state legislators
have been pocketed by Aregbesola. The NLC and TUC have also compromised.
So, nobody can call this recalcitrant governor to order? It is a shame
that this is happening in a state like Osun with great potential.
Governor Aregbesola has also extended his reign of terror to the
state-owned tertiary institutions where a large number of teaching and
non-teaching staff are being sacked on a daily basis over salary issues.
Osun State is clearly in crisis and Aregbesola is the problem. He
should just resign and allow peace to reign in Osun State.
Yemi Adebowale
THISDAY
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