Nurses working in the troubled North-East are now reported to feel unsafe due to the recent abduction by Boko Haram of one of there own, Jennifer Ukambong Samuel.
This was disclosed by The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Plateau State Council, in a press statement issued on Monday calling on the government to intervene on the matter and look into the welfare of their members in the state.
In the statement signed by the Chairman (NANNM), Plateau State Council, Comrade Briskila Dabit, the association thanked the governor for his “swift” response after the abduction and called on him to revisit the issue of recruitment of nurses in the state in order to check the movement of nurses to the troubled area.
The association appreciated “Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong for the swift response and attention given to the unfortunate abduction of our colleague Miss Jennifer Ukambong on 22/12/2019 who is an aide worker with Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), a humanitarian organization saddled with the responsibility of providing health care services in the terrorist-torn Northeastern part of Nigeria.
“The official statement issued by the government through the Commissioner for Information, the visit of Executive Governor to Nurse Jennifer’s family and the prayers rendered are comforting and indeed highly commendable.
“As a professional body responsible for the welfare and wellbeing of all Nurses, we wish to call on the Governor of Plateau State to use his exalted office as the Chairman Northern Governors’ Forum to secure the unconditional release of Nurse Jennifer Ukambong as well as other citizens who are also in captivity.
“According to our findings, quite a number of the aid-Workers in the North East are either citizens of Plateau State or schooled in our dear State. Recently, we received a delegation of Jennifer Ukambong’s colleagues and classmates on the 31/12/2019, lamenting how they usually feel unsafe working in the Northeast. At the same time, we are aware that plans have been underway since last year to recruit Nurses in Plateau State. We are appealing to the Government to expedite action and avail this opportunity for our teaming applicants.
“As a listening Governor, we believe Governor Simon Bako Lalong will look into the issues raised and give directives for recruitment in a bid to cushioning the emotional and psychological stress our colleagues are passing through in the North East”.
The association also appealed to the Federal authorities to ensure adequate security to aid workers in the region while also commending lawmakers at the Federal and state levels as well as citizens for their prayers and support.
