Doctor’s strike: NMA President resigns over inability to suspend action

The controversy trailing the industrial strike action called by the Nigerian Medical Association(NMA)over a month ago, appears to be far from ending as the President of the association, Dr. Kayode Obembe has tendered his resignation letter. His resignation today (Friday) followed the refusal of a faction of the NMA led by Drs. Titus Ibekwe and Bartholomew Okorochukwu to assent to his suspension of the lingering strike. The Nigerian Times had earlier reported the controversy that has been trailing the strike action embarked upon by the association of doctors. On Thursday, Obembe had announced the suspension of the strike citing “the incursion of Ebola Virus into Nigeria.”

The faction of the NMA, which disagreed with Obembe over the decision, had hurriedly sent out another press release asking Nigerians to discountenance the news that the strike had been called off. First and Second Vice Presidents of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Drs. Titus Ibekwe and Bartholomew Okorochukwu alongside Secretary General; Dr. Adewunmi Alayaki, National Treasurer; Abubakar Abdulrahman, Editor of the medical journal; Dr. Francis Uba in the press statement signed yesterday insisted that the over one month Nigeria medical doctor’s strike must continue. Apparently reacting to this, Obembe tendered the resignation letter titled: ‘Clarification’, which reads: “There has been a request for clarification about the two postings from the NMA secretariat on the NMA blog. “I want to make it categorically cleared that I stand by the very letter of the document that I signed – that the strike was suspended. “And since upon my integrity and honour, I cannot continue to drive the doctrine that “strike continues”, “I hereby tender my letter of resignation as NMA President.”