Despite NASS’ doubt, NPHCDA, says it did alot to contain COVID-19 pandemic

*Moves to increase staff salaries, improve welfare

By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Abuja

The Executive Director (ED), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib has said he was on a mission to better the welfare of staff of the Agency, to motivate them for greater productivity. He said he was working hard to leave a legacy of salary increase and improved welfare for the staff.

Hear him, “The Chairman of the union talked about some of the welfare packages that we are trying to bring on board, but of all of these packages, my work at NPHCDA no matter what we achieved, will not be done until you get the right salary for the kind of amazing work that you do.

“I promise you that, that for me will be the greatest legacy that will reward the incredible work that you do at NPHCDA”.

The ED assures, “I want to promise you as I wrap up, that the salary you are enjoying in 2022 is going to be insignificant compare to what you will earn in 2023.

“We will work and talk not because I can but because you deserve it”.

Shuaib added, “There’s no agency that come even close to the work that you guys are doing”.

Dr Shuaib who spoke at the occasion of NPHCDA Staff Get together on Thursday, in Abuja, also said in his remarks that the National Assembly members doubted the Agency’s capacity to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

He said, “When Covid-19 hits and we started the vaccination programme, and I showed you that one of worrying moments was when we were invited to the national assembly and a number of legislators told me to my face that NPHCDA does not have the capacity to deliver COVID-19 vaccination.

“Despite all of the examples that I gave about how well we worked together to eradicate wild polio virus. They said no, this one is different.

“Do I need to go back to the National Assembly to show them the amazing things that you guys gave done”?

“Nobody gave us a chance to deliver on COVID-19. Nobody gave us a chance to do the best COVID-19 programme all across Africa”, he stated.

Speaking in the same vein, the ED said however that tacking the pandemic was challenging. He noted, “despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our routine immunization still continued to rise from 33 percent to 71 percent and 63 percent and we will keep going”.

He commended the NPHCDA workforce saying, “One thing that all of these guys have thought me is the value of working together, appreciating people.

“Sometimes in the work that we do, I know that I like to get results and I drive people to produce these results and sometimes in the middle of the of the night I wonder if I ever take enough steps back to say thank you for the incredible work that you are doing. Today, I want to say thank you very much

“I know that our number might not be showing that we are doing so well, but it is not how well you start but how well you finished and we will finish and will be the best programme in the whole of Africa.

“I’ve heard it from many ministers, Permanent Secretaries, ordinary Nigerians that we do not work like a government agency, we work like we are the private sector because, every time we go and do something, we do it better than any government agencies and it is not just because the people at the management level, it is because of ordinary staff like you. People like you that go to the field and toil night and day.

“Anytime that NPHCDA has a presentation, I don’t worry because at the end of the day, our presentations come out tops.

“Sometimes, it might be tough and sometimes it may appear as if you are toiling in vein. sometimes you will look at your bank account and you will see that the money that is left can hardly pay for all the things that you need to do.

“But it is in singular moment like that makes it worthwhile and as long as you continue to work together and focus on delivery, I’m sure that one day, working with the union you will find that before the end of this year, when you an alert, on your phone you will be asking what is this.

“We are the generation of Nigerians that will make the difference and making that difference start wit you and start with compensating you for the hard work that you have been putting across the years”.

•NPHCDA, ED, Dr Faisal Shuaib