The Federal Government has released N4.5 billion to 31 federal teaching and medical centres across the country.
The sum is to cover hazard and inducement allowances for the month of April and May.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, disclosed this on Friday, while briefing State House Correspondents in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The minister spoke after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Just this morning before we went to see Mr President, the Ministry of Finance reported that as at 3:00am this morning, paid the allowances for a hazard to 31 Teaching and Federal Medical Centres and special hospitals of the Federal Government’s service.
“And they have extended close to N4.5 billion because we are paying them off the arrears of April and May. The payments for June will also be done when these ones are sorted out. So we have expended N4.5 billion as we speak this morning for these payments,” he said.
Ngige’s comments came three days after a meeting between the Federal Government delegation and the National Association of Resident Doctors aimed at resolving the strike embarked upon by the association ended in a deadlock.
The striking doctors refused to reconvene after a brief recess and their president, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, said that they were not ready to shift position until their demands were met.
However, Ngige insisted that the meeting was successful, as most of the demands were being resolved.
He later noted that the representatives of the striking doctors had informed them that their members did not agree with the resolutions from the meeting so far, and as such could not call off the strike until some tangible evidence of commitment from the government was received.
Also, the Minister of Health said the government had the obligation to protect the health of citizens, and since the doctors were not ready to resume, certain steps must be taken.
He also noted that a circular had been sent out to all government hospitals to open a register from Wednesday, to take note of doctors that would resume for work.
