By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – THE Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) has commended the federal government for admitting its members into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) payment system but frowned at the continued grading of its members emoluments on the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) instead of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

The newly registered association commended the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for accepting it as one of its affiliates and also attending its recently virtually held National Executive Committee of the association.

In a communiqué released to journalists in Benin City and jointly signed by the National President, Dr Nosa Lancy Orhue, National Welfare Secretary, Dr. Shehu Abdurrhaman and the National Publicity Secretary, Dr Jibril Abdulahi who signed for the Secretary-General Dr Zakari Suleiman, the association said based on several regulations and agreements, members of NAMDA are supposed to enjoy the same conditions of service and emoluments like their counterparts who are not in academics but in practice, as they said they experience the same working conditions and therefore rejected the directive by the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) not to be at parity with their counterparts.

Part of the communiqué reads “NEC commended the FG for the response to her demand on the enrolment of her members into the IPPIS CONMESS platform through a letter with reference No. OAGF/IPPIS/1141/I/77 dated 13th of April 2023. However, she frowned at the partial or non-implementation of CONMESS for her members in the university system. This does not align with the agreement reached during the negotiation between the FG and NMA on CONMESS with NAMDA’s acceptance of the NMA position which culminated in the CONMESS circular with ref. No.

SWC/04/S.410/Vol.1 dated 25th of July 2023 for medical and dental officers / doctors in the Federal public service. NEC directed the NOC and BOC to ensure full implementation for her members in the university system.

“NEC rejected the letter from the NSIWC dated 8th of August asking MDAs to pay medical lecturers in the university system with CONUASS. NEC directed each branch and NOC to take every legal means to ensure the full implementation of CONMESS for her members. She further directed that wherever the letter from the NSIWC is implemented, the branches should not hesitate from stopping provision of services until the matter is resolved with the university management or council.

“NEC rejected circulars SWC/S/04/S.218/III/570 and SWC/S/04/S.218/III/572 on hazard allowance and accoutrement respectively dated 26th of July, 2023 from the NSIWC and call for their withdrawal. The discriminatory hazard circular should be replaced with the circular on hazard allowance dated 22nd December 2021 with reference no.

SWC/S/04/S.218/II/406 for all medical and dental officers/ doctors in the public service. For emphasis, doctors in basic medical sciences, ministries, research institutions and other health agencies are exposed to life threatening infections or health related risks when they engage in teaching, research in humans, inoculation/ immunization, epidemic control and health education in prisons, orphanages, old people’s homes etc. NEC called on NSIWC to seek education or clarification before embarking on recommending rates she is unable to defend. Similarly, the circular on accoutrement should be implemented for our members in the basic medical and basic clinical sciences.”

The communiqué also called on the government to pay her members who are yet to be paid their eight months withheld salary since they were not on strike during the industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as “our members were not members of ASUU, they were not involved in the withdrawal of service and in some cases they conducted examination and graduated students.”

It mentioned the Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Uyo and University of Ilorin as being among those yet to pay the eight months salary of their members saying the action negates the decision of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria’s judgment on the No work No pay.

The communiqué commended the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin and Chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors (CCVCs) Prof. Lillian Salami for her exemplary leadership on the welfare of medical and dental academics and pledged to continue to cooperate with her.