Minister of State for Health, Ishaq Salako has issued a strong warning following the proposed nationwide strike by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

He said: “A strike by NUPENG will obviously affect the health sector because, as it is today, our hospitals are 65 to 80 per cent dependent on diesel and petrol generators.”

“So if there is a strike, it will also have an adverse effect on the health sector, and you obviously don’t want that.”

“My comment is to appeal to both parties to allow reason to prevail; the ordinary citizen must be at the centre of the discussion. As rightly observed, any strike by NUPENG will certainly disrupt a lot of things, economic activities and social activities. So, we don’t want a strike.”

“I’d just appeal that a balance needs to be reached. Dangote is playing an important role in the economy, trying to improve our domestic capacities. There is also the right to associate and unionise, but that must be balanced.”

For those who don’t know, NUPENG on Friday announced that its members would cease work from September 8 in protest against alleged moves by the Dangote Refinery to prevent its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), tanker drivers from joining labour unions.