By Dapo Akinrefon
LAGOS—As Lagos State doctors embark on another round of industrial action, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, as well as Oodua Self Determination Group, COSEG, have called for caution and understanding over the issue.

Speaking with newsmen, yesterday, in Lagos, President of AYCF, Mallam Yerima Shettima was of the opinion that “the striking doctors should have exercised patience to see what plan the government had for them in the new budget.”
According to him, their action will appear pre-emptive of government’s plans for all the sectors of the economy, adding,

“Governor Fashola is surely mindful of the importance of health care delivery in the life of his people and may not toy with it.”

In a statement by the President and General Secretary of the group, Dayo Ogunlana and Razaq Oloko-Oba, respectively, COSEG also appealed to the medical doctors to be cautious in their latest action.

The group said, “afterall, the Governor had assured that the new budget accommodates the promised increament in salaries across all sectors.”

In a statement, argued that “since the budget, which is the official document of implementation has just been signed last Thursday, our people in that noble profession should have waited for implementation before embarking on the strike.”

The group described as curious, the latest action of the doctors who, it said were not oblivious of the importance of their profession to human existence, regretting that “information has it that their suspended strike resulted into avoidable number of casualties.”

To prevent such episode from repeating itself, the COSEG appealed to the striking doctors “to see reason with Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who needs time to implement the newly signed budget,” assuring that “Fashola that will all know is a responsible and responsive leader.”

The group urged that, while the governor puts all the necessary mechanism in place to implement the budget, enthusing that “all the parties involved in the issue will have cause to smile.”