…appeals to Gov Zulum to assist them pay the money
SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has denied 330 Emergency Health and Nutrition Workers their three months extended period January-March 2020 payments after an initial 12 months contract letter in Borno State.
The Ministry has also stopped the contract and collected all federal government property in their possession since April 2020 without pay while the combined teams of the Emergency Health and Nutrition Workers were all from outside the state engaged fora health service across the 27 LGAs of the state.
The Group Chairman, Pharmacist Isaac Newton Nsoha and Secretary, Dr. Yusuf G. Usman in a joint press briefing held at the NUJ Press Center Saturday said they were engaged from December 2018 to November 2019 by the FMOH and being periodically supervised by FMOH officials from Abuja and monitored by then State Coordinator of the Programme, Dr. Baba Gana Shehu Who directed them to continue with the work after the 12 months initial contract in the basis that the programme will be extended for even 3 years afterwards.
According to them, it was on this basis the 330 members comprising of 10 members per team of 33 groups of medical doctors, pharmacists, medical.kabkratory technicians , community health workers, nurses, midwives, nutritionists and others posted across each LGA if the state providing nutritional and other health services continued and ea h month forwarded as usual their monthly reports to the Coordinator for onward submission to the FMOH Abuja but their payments for the three months have not been paid until date by the FMOH.
“Efforts to impress in the state government to intervene to settle us or talk to the FMOH Emergency Nutrition Programme Unit to pay us our outstanding three months pay but the efforts ended in vein as we can not reach th governor and the State Health Commissioner, SSS, Police, Deputy Governor and COS to th Give to were approached ,still to no avail.
“The programme is in Borno State and Borno people and government are the direct beneficiaries. That is why we are appealing to th State Governor , Professor Babagama Umara Zulum to assist us pay to us the 3 months outstanding payments as citizens of Nigerian who have families and responsibilities.”, Isoha said.
” The FG has actually paid for the 12 months that we were initially engaged and the programme was implemented in collaboration with the Borno State government. When we were asked to continue after the 12 months period, th State ministry if health officials are aware a d involved as they engaged and assured us that there would be no problem hence FMOH was even planning to continue with the programme for the next 3 years as part of it’s post Insurgency project.
“But unfortunately, after three months , northern the FG or BOSG could pay us for the period we have worked and that exposed us to severe hardship as we are all non Indigenes recruited in Maiduguri to do the job and finally posted to various LGCs across the state in teams of 10 members”, Isoha said.
The Spokesman, Pharmacist Isoha further explained that the pay ranges from N80,000 to N350,000 per a member depending on the profession of the menber hence the 330 members engaged comprise of various professionals, noting that,it is now about 4 months now that nothing has been done about it by either the state or federal government.
He added that the situation compelled them to embark on a peaceful demonstration to impress in Government to pay them their money but the Borno State Command and SSS intervened and counselled them to rather make effort to approach the State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Aliyu Salihi Kwaya Bura or the Deputy Govenror,Alhaji Usman Umar Kadaffur first with the matter to pave way for them to meet the governor face to face and explain themselves.
“As all efforts to get in touch with the governor failed and we were becoming frustrated, we decided to voice out our plight through the media to seek for help to make the governor come to our aid”, Isoha said.
Responding in a telephone conversation, the State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Aliyu Salihu Kwaya Bura told Journalists that the state government was aware of the issue and all the places they have gone to present their case but presently, the state Governor has been minuted the file on their matter and awaiting the Reapinse of the govenror .
He however noted that the programme was completely a FMOH project and it was FMOH that recruited and paid them but the programme was implemented in Borno State 27 LGAs as beneficiaries.
“Borno State government is not responsible for their pay and is not paying them neither recruited them but asked them to continue at the end of their initial 12 months when the FMOH was contacted by the state government and they indicated that the programme may be extended to 3 years.
“State government went as far as approaching the NEDC to.sponsor the programme during the COVID-19 period when it realized that the delay in their payments from FMOH was as a result of lack of resources and the difficulties faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemuc.
“This prompted the BOSG to approach the NEDC with the Programme to support but unfortunately, there was issue iof inadequate resources and earlier another confusion was that the issue was presented to the NDDC but still to no avail.
“So, I have made several effrots and contacts on the matter to see that their.miney is paid but the few members going up and down in the matter approaching too government officials and securiy agencies, making calls unnecessarily to disturb people especially, their leader was very rude and trying to insulting people.
“However, their file is before the governor this week before he travelled and we are awaiting his response whenever he is back from his official engagements outside the State. But we are not owing anybody and we are not responsible for their predicament because we did not employ them. It is the FMOH that recruited them in 2018.”, Kwaya Bura said.