The National Executive Council (NEC), Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), has announced a 7-day warning strike and demanded the removal of the Pro-Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Akwa, Anambra State.
In a communiqué jointly issued and signed by the association’s President, Prof. Aminu Mohammad, and Secretary, Prof. Daiyabu Ibrahim, at the end of its extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) extraordinary virtual meeting coordinated from Jos, the association said the strike will take effect from Monday, November 18, 2024, and will affect all services rendered by its members in all Nigerian universities and public hospitals in the country.
It called on the Federal Government to immediately relieve Ambassador Greg Ozumba Mbadiwe from his position as pro-chancellor and chairman of the Governing Council, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, over alleged insubordination and refusal to enforce the Ministry of Education’s directive nullifying the recent appointment of the Vice Chancellor of the university.
Their grievances also border on the exclusion of MDCAN members from contesting for the university’s vice chancellor position.
MDCAN further expressed shock that the affected appointees are still parading themselves as the pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council and vice chancellor, respectively.
The association is also demanding a review of the retirement age of medical consultants to 70 years to address the current shortfall of manpower for training, research, and healthcare services in the country.
The NEC frowned at the failure of the government to universally implement the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for clinical lecturers in all Nigerian Universities, to mitigate the current shortfalls in the emolument, entry level, and pension contribution of her members.
The communiqué further called on the Federal Government to develop an all-inclusive prototype of . for the Office of Vice Chancellor.
They argued that the . for the Office of Vice Chancellor, as recently issued by Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, should serve as a guide for future selection of the university’s vice chancellors in the country.
The MDCAN further demanded the harmonisation of payment of emoluments of medical lecturers with the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) in order to ensure universal applicability of CONMESS to all medical and dental officers.