I spend N8b on salaries every month in Abuja so if you strike I save money—Wike to Abuja medical doctors

Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has put the administration’s monthly wage bill at N8 billion saying the FCT’s budget for next year would take into account the concerns raised by various stakeholders and unions.

According to him, the current bill excludes the recent N35,000 wage increase for civil servants.

Wike disclosed this on Wednesday when he received the executive members of the FCT chapter of Association of Resident Doctors led by the President, Dr Rahman Olayinka.

While the doctors listed several challenges confronting them, Wike said government may not be able to solve all their challenges but that it would do its best within the limits of its ability.

He said; “People want government to do things for them. The federal government has just increased salaries by 35,000. But where are the resources? Nobody is asking this question. People just want more money.

“In FCT the salary a month is N8bn. I am not talking about this increment now. Now, what are we dependent on? IGR. We must tell ourselves the simple truth. The current expenditure is such that we cannot find infrastructure. When we were in Rivers,we were doing 70 percent for infrastructure and 30 for recurrent.

Earlier, Dr Olayinka thanked the minister for attending to some of their challenges within weeks of assuming office.

Noting that the “Japa Syndrome”, a term used for brain drain, Dr Olayinka said there is a dearth of manpower in FCT’s health sector. He also called for the purchase or more drugs for FCT hospitals.

He said; “We still have shortage of manpower and it is causing a burn our of the doctors in the FCT. We will like you to consider the health sector when their is recruitment. We need doctors, pharmacists, nurses, lab technicians etc. FCT is at the receiving end of the Japa syndrome.

“We are being owed arrears of hazard allowance. The previous administration promised to pay us in tranches and we are right now working with the administration to see how this can be done”.