Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions

Health workers in the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Nigeria, have declared that the internally generated revenue of the hospital is insufficient to cater for the monthly astronomical electricity bills brought by the officials of the Ibadan Eelectricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

The health workers who made this declaration on Tuesday, through the chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions (NASU), Comrade Kehinde Abiona, appealed to the Federal Government to rechannel the gains of the subsidy removal to fund the health sector's challenges.

''Management cannot pay the prohibitive tariffs; even before the increment, the hospital had been grappling to cope with the increasing costs of administration. It is just like a patient that is struggling to survive and the oxygen line is suddnely removed.''

''The Federal Government should rechannel the subsidy it removed on petrol to the power sector. The government should subsidize power consumption. It promised to subsidize electricity in teaching hospitals, but surprisingly this promise has no seen the light of the day.'' Comrade Abiona stated.

He called on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the government to do the necessary for teaching hospitals in the country,  saying''everyone is a potential patient, we should all be concenred about how the hospitals are run.''

Workers in Nigeria have every cause to celebrate being alive and faced with the excruciating economic hardships in the country.

The assertion was made by the chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU) University College Hospital(UCH)branch, Ibadan, Nigeria, Comrade Kehinde Abiona.

''My own position is that anyone that is alive today has every cause to celebrate, basically for the gift of life in the present harsh economic climate in the country. Workers in Nigeria have every cause to celebrate being alive. The economy is biting very hard. However, one thing I want to appreciate the Federal Government for, is the prompt payment of the new minimum wage of N70,000. We at UCH have already received the new minimum wage for September.

Comrade Abiona also appealed to the Federal Government to take urgent steps to salvage the very disturbing economic situation in the country, saying ''I appeal to the government to ensure good living conditions for the citizenry.''

The Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital(UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo has raised the alarm over the incessant thefts within the hospital.

Prof. Otegbayo made this revelation recently at a program organized by the hospital with the theme, ''PHARMACEUTICAL CARE: THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE.''

''There are lots of thefts going on in the hospital these days. The latest is the theft of newly installed oxygen pipes. We caught one of the security personnel of the hospital who was involved.  We are disturbed. Let us be vigilant. If you see something, say something, the CMD advises the workers.

Before this time, concerned workers discovered the UCH property at a major scrap metal market in the state capital.

Hoodlums on Friday, 20th October 2023 sealed the branch secretariat of the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU) in the University College Hospital(UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria.

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According to the chairman of the union, Comrade Kehinde Abiona who made this disclosure, the sealing off was with the consent of the management of the hospital.

''On Friday, 20th October 2023 by about 9.00 am in the morning, miscreants, among whom were a few financial members and non-financial members invaded the office of the union in the name of protesting the non-conduct of the union's elections and made attempts to seal the office off, which I resisted, until the Chief Security Officer of the hospital came around to deceive me that the Chief Medical Director wanted to see me, at that point, I had to go; but on getting back to NASU, I met the office being sealed off and there was going in the presence of cameramen from the Public Relations department of the hospital who were busy recording on the instructions of the CSO,'' Comrade Abiona stated.

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The chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU) University College Hospital(UCH)branch,Ibadan, Nigeria has been elected to the National Executive Council(NEC) of the union.

 This disclosure was made on Monday by Kehinde Abiona in a chat.

''The embattled NASU UCH branch chairman has broken the jinx by becoming member of the National Executive Council of NASU. We have over 2,000 members in UCH. Foir the first time ever, a sitting chairman of NASU UCH has been elected a member of NEC. This is the major reason why the hands of all members must be on deck to return the chairman for a second term for the intererst of the branch and for members' interest.''

The Non Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU) has traced the non-payment of their five-month salaries to the indiscretion of the leadership of the union which did not consult with members before suspending the strike action.

This position of NASU was made known by a former chairman of the union in Oyo state, Comrade Fatoki Olusola-Cole.
''Out of frustration, the national leadership of NASU signed the agreement and they announced the suspension of the strike at the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja, without consultation with members. As at today, none of the agreements have been fulfilled. Up till this hour, we have not heard anything about it. And we have been asking, but the government has not been able to tell us anything.''
''As a result of the strike our five-month salaries were with held and this has caused a lot of havoc and problems for members. As a result, some are paralyzed, some have died, some have lost their wives and children. It has brought about unquantifiable sorrows for our members. Thank God for some of us that are still alive. We are living but not balanced. It will take  the grace of God for us to be balanced financially. They never reviewed our salaries. Psychologically, financially, emotionally, we are not stable. We can not show 100 per cent devotion to work because we have a lot of debts to pay. 5 months at a stretch, the government did not pay us. Our children are in school, some have just got admission, we pay for their rent and feeding. Similarly, we the parents, we pay rent and we feed. The prices of electricity, petrol and other goods and services have gone up astronomically and even beyond our reach. Our prayer  is that God will fight for us. This government came with the intention of destroying workers, it has succeeded. God will surely reward them. We are sad, we are not happy at work and at home. We are suffering. There is nobody to fight for us, but God will fight for us. No motivation, no rest of mind, no joy, you leave home in the morning, no hope of meeting food in the evening at home. There is hunger in the land,'' Comrade Olusola-Cole lamented.