NMA flays Imo, Benue, Abia govs over alleged non-payment of salary arrears

The leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called on state governors holding back the salary arrears of medical doctors to desist from such act.

The call, which came shortly after the association’s 63th yearly conference and delegate’s meeting, which held in Jalingo, Taraba State, at the weekend, indicated that governors Hope Uzodima of Imo state and Samuel Ortom of Benuel state are defaulting in the payment of both medical and public servants’ salary arrears.

Also, among governors, who have been given health workers sleepless nights, following their alleged inability to settle salary arrears, is the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.

Through its National President, Dr. Uche Ojinmah, the association, which urged the governors to do the needful before leaving office, said: “We call on Governor Ikpeazu of Imo State to kindly listen to doctors in the state and pay them what he owes them.

“If the governors of Ekiti, Ondo and Adamawa can be up to date in the payment of doctors’ remunerations, it is an anomaly that the aforementioned governors could not follow suit.”

The medical association, which said it is optimistic that the incoming governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, would not follow the path of his predecessor, noted that as a specialist in finance, he would understand the implication of not paying civil servants in a civil service state.

MNA said: “We are hopeful that the Abia State governor-elect would not work in the bad ways of his predecessor, who is nonchalant about the welfare of Abians.

The association, which also could not fathom why Ortom has been lagging behind in the payment of salaries to Benue workers, urged him to quickly do the needful before leaving office on May 29.

It said: “We also called on the Benue State Governor to remember that leaving behind eight months salary arrears of doctors would be a terrible legacy.”

Applauding the efforts of the governors of Ekiti, Ondo and Adamawa states in the prompt payment of medical workers’ salary arrears, the association stressed the need for the defaulting governors to take a cue from their counterparts, saying that such step would go a long way to halt brain drain in the medical sector.