The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued a stern warning, threatening to embark on a nationwide strike if their abducted colleague, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola, is not released by August 26, 2024.
This announcement was made by the President of NARD, Dr. Dele Abdullahi, during a press briefing held in Abuja on Wednesday.
Dr. Ganiyat Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna, was abducted on December 27, 2023, alongside her husband and nephew. While her husband was released in March, Dr. Ganiyat and her nephew remain in captivity, raising concerns among medical professionals nationwide.
Expressing the association’s frustration, Dr. Abdullahi revealed that NARD has lost patience with the government’s apparent inaction over the prolonged abduction. He emphasized that the association had promptly notified all relevant security agencies through official channels, urging immediate intervention for the safe release of Dr. Popoola.
“In a country where we place a high value on healthcare providers and emphasize the need for them to remain within the country, it is imperative that their security is guaranteed at all times,” Dr. Abdullahi stated.
He further disclosed that NARD had communicated with key stakeholders, including the Nigerian Medical Association, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairpersons of the Senate and House Committees on Health, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the Kaduna State Government. Despite these efforts, there has been no action toward securing Dr. Popoola’s release.
“We’ve been engaging, but we’ve not had any personal engagement with the security agencies or the state and federal governments regarding this tragic situation,” Abdullahi lamented.
In response to the continued inaction, NARD has resolved to organize a national press conference and a protest march in all tertiary hospitals across the nation to demand Dr. Ganiyat Popoola’s release.
Should she remain in captivity beyond August 26, the association will commence an industrial action, potentially crippling healthcare services across Nigeria.
While acknowledging the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians and security agencies, Dr. Abdullahi urged the government to take concrete steps to rescue their colleague. “It’s appalling that in a country where we want healthcare providers to stay, one of us has been incarcerated for over seven months without any form of relief or directive on how the rescue mission will proceed,” he added.
