It has been reported that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has frowned on the failure of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors to comply with the court order directing them to suspend their strike and resume, describing their action as contempt of court.
According to reports, the National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja had on Friday ordered the doctors to resume work while continuing with its negotiations with the Federal Government.
However the doctors had reportedly refused to resume, stating that they would appeal the order.
According to a NARD official, Dr Julian Ojebo, “NARD would not suspend the strike.”
Reacting to this, Ngige had stated that, “That is contemptuous. That is contempt of the court decision.”
According to him, “We will not bow down against contempt but I’m not interested in those things. It is the Minister of Health and Attorney-General that can be looking into those things. My take is to invite them back and show them the degree of implementation of the MoU they signed in my office. They refused to sign but their parent body, NMA signed, consultants association signed, and others.”
Ngige made it known that, “I have been speaking with their lawyer, Femi Falana but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to me only Femi Falana that on this case.”
He added that, “I spoke to him on Thursday and I know what we agreed on for them to come and sign the Memorandum of Understanding. I am not a lawyer but I have been going to court. No matter how bad a court order is, you obey it. An appeal doesn’t act as stay (of execution).”
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