The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria has expressed grief over the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a labour-friendly president.
In a press statement on Tuesday, signed by the National President, Dr. Kabiru Minjibir, and the Secretary General, Auwalu Kiyawa, the union extended condolences to the late president’s widow, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, the entire Buhari family, and Nigerians.
“Late President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR was not only a patriot but also a visionary leader, a selfless elder statesman, a man with inner strength, and dedication to serve Nigeria dutifully,” the union stated.
The union noted that Buhari was admired and trusted by Nigerians who believed in him as a democrat.
The union also pointed to Buhari’s policies aimed at supporting the poor and vulnerable in society, including the school feeding programme, which it said drastically reduced the number of out-of-school children. It also cited social investment and poverty alleviation programmes that provided stipends to families.
According to the statement, Buhari resisted calls from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and their leaders for a sudden removal of fuel and electricity subsidies, opting instead for a gradual approach to protect ordinary Nigerians.
MHWUN acknowledged the former president’s role in initiating the Anchor Borrowers Programme for farmers, describing it as a master stroke to boost food production.
The statement read, “The late President will always be on our minds as a labour-friendly president. He unprecedentedly increased the retirement age for teachers from 60 to 65 years and 35 years of service to 40 years, with a new teachers’ salary structure. The health sector and other sectors of the civil service have recently also benefited from this bureaucratic structural innovation.
“Without hassles, late President Buhari signed into law the N30,000 (Thirty Thousand) Naira minimum wage. His fight against the global health dragon called COVID-19, which claimed millions of lives in more civilised climes but with little impact in Nigeria, is very much commended to this day. He built the Second Niger Bridge. He also revived and brought to life and light our once abandoned railway system. He maintained infrastructures around the country — the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, etc.
“Most importantly, he was a military governor of North Eastern State, a former Minister) Federal Commissioner of Petroleum, he built the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries, a former military Head of State and an Executive President of the country for eight years. Yet, an iota of corruption was not found in him.”
The health union workers further said, “In fact, his death is an unimaginable colossal loss not only to Nigeria as a country, but Africa as a continent. He did everything possible within his power to touch positively the lives of Nigerians and Africans, especially those within our sub-region — ECOWAS.”