The report that the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, has ordered the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), back to work has been disputed.

According to ThisDay, Justice John Tergema of the Abuja Division of the Industrial Court made the order on Monday while delivering ruling in an application by the federal government seeking an order of court compelling the striking workers to return to work.

The NARD had on August 2, 2021 embarked on an indefinite strike to protest what they say is a breach of agreement the association reached with the federal government to end its strike of 2020.

After weeks of unfruitful dialogue, the government approached the industrial court for an order to enforce its “no work, no pay” rule.

Responding, the court had summoned the striking doctors to appear before it and show cause why their salaries should not be stopped as requested by the federal government.

In a short ruling, the trial judge fixed September 15, 2021, for hearing of the originating summons.

The judge also directed that the defendant should appear on the next adjourned date to show cause why the “no work, no pay” rule should not be enforced against it.

The federal government seemed not satisfied and had last week approached the court for an order compelling the striking doctors to “suspend the said industrial action commenced on August 2 and resume work immediately, pending the determination of the substantive suit”.

The ex parte application dated August 18, 2021, was argued on behalf of the federal government by Mr O. E. Kaswe, wherein he urged the court to restrain the doctors in all the states of the federation from further continuing with the strike on the grounds that it runs contrary to section 41 of the Trade Dispute Act.

Delivering ruling in the ex parte application, Justice Tergema ordered that: “The claimant/applicant and the defendant/respondent suspend all forms of hostilities forthwith, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

The judge ordered that the defendant/respondent be served with the hearing notice and the originating processes, adding that proof of service be filed in the case file before the next adjourned date of September 15, 2021.

Members of the NARD embarked on a fresh strike due to the government’s failure to honor the memorandum of action that led it to calling off its strike in 2020.

Specifically, they are protesting the government’s removal of House Officers from the scheme of service.

In response to the union’s latest industrial action, the government approached the court,  seeking punishment for the striking doctors for what it claimed is an abdication of responsibility.

Among the issues for determination by the court is whether or not the “no work, no pay” rule should not be applied against the defendant.

The suit also contained a prayer seeking an order of the court to direct the striking doctors to return to work immediately.

A statement signed by the ministry of labour and employment spokesperson, Charles Akpan, said the presiding judge, Mr Targema, granted the order of interlocutory injunction, “compelling all members of the Defendants/Respondents in all the states of the Federation to suspend the said industrial action.”

“The Court held that the continued downing of tools by the striking doctors has inflicted a lot of damage on the health system and the sick, especially in this perilous times of COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement added.

But in a surprising reaction to the news, the NARD told Premium Times that it only heard of the court sitting on the pages of newspapers after the sitting was over.

“We are not aware that the matter came up. We are just hearing it from news platforms and that is why we did not appear before the court,” the NARD President, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said.

He added that the NARD is only aware of the September 15 adjournment, and so Monday’s sitting was strange to the union.

Mr Okhuaihesuyi also debunked what he described as rumour that the court ordered his union’s back to work, saying the strike continues until their demands are met by the government.

With these conflicting statements from the media, the ministry of labour and the NARD, the hope of many Nigerians who have breathed sigh of relief at the news that the doctors have been ordered back to work, is dashed. The resident doctors’ striking action has paralyzed medical activities across the country for weeks now.

Justice Targema had on previous occasions refused to order doctors back to work, suggesting the NARD’s statement could be true.

However, Nigerians have kept bearing the brunt of the doctors’ strike as many are dying preventable deaths due to lack of Medicare.

“Losing my cousin to a road accident today (Monday) because no doctors available to attend to him on time has completely shattered me. My aunt is in coma already. Her only son is gone,” a bereaved Nigerian lamented on Twitter.

As the world continues to chart a new path from the turmoil of covid-19 pandemic, which includes the global chip shortage, tech companies are working to expand existing businesses in their future investments, including chip production.

Samsung Group, South Korea’s tech giant, announced on Tuesday that it will invest $205 billion (240 trillion won) in their semiconductor, biopharmaceuticals and telecommunications units over the next three years to enhance its global presence and lead in new industries such as next-generation telecommunication and robotics.

The investment will be led by Samsung affiliates including Samsung Electronics and Samsung Biologics. It also unveiled a mergers and acquisitions plan to fortify its technology and market leadership.

With setting aside $154.3 billion (180 trillion won) for home ground, Samsung expects to create 40,000 new jobs by 2023 through the investment.

This announcement comes days after Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y. Lee was released on parole on 13 August right before South Korea’s Liberation Day. People speculated Samsung would be able to move forward with major investments once he was freed from prison, according to local media reports.

Samsung’s latest investment will be used for semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals and the next-generation telco units, according to the company’s statement.

Samsung Electronics plans to develop advanced process technology and expand the business with artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers for its system semiconductors while it will focus on up-to-date technology such as EUV-based sub14-nanometer DRAM and over 200-layer V-NAND products for the memory business. Samsung had announced in May the company will invest $151 billion in its logic chip and foundry sector, to be the top logic chip maker, by 2030.

Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis plan to establish two new plants, in addition to a fourth factory that is under construction, for expanding the contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) business, the statement said.

South Korea’s largest conglomerate also will support its ongoing R&D in new technologies and emerging application in areas such as AI and robotics along with the next generation OLED, quantum-dot display and high-energy density batteries development.

Samsung’s move to expand its semiconductor production is spurred by the global chip shortage, which has thrown the tech world into disarray, with productions of cars and telecom devices being severely affected.

Other tech companies have joined the race to manufacture chips for their own use as demand buoyed by pandemic-induced digital life skyrockets. Traditional semiconductor companies such as Intel and TSMC are all working to expand production by building new factories in the US and Europe.

Besides the global chip shortage, Samsung has dropped in global position following the incarceration of its chairman Lee Jae-yong. The South Korean giant has seen its leadership in smartphones overtaken by Chinese Xiaomi, highlighting the need for new investments.

In the face of growing apathy toward social media, fueled in some cases by the government’s intolerance of free speech and the desire to control people’s posts, many governments are now seeking alternatives to the dominant American social media platforms.

Ethiopia has begun developing its own social media platform to rival Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, though it does not plan to block the global services, the state communications security agency said. Reuters has the report.

The east African country has been engulfed since last year in an armed conflict pitting the federal government against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the Tigray region in the country’s north.

Supporters of the warring sides have used social media for verbal attacks, with the government accusing social media platforms of bias.

The government wants its local platform to “replace” Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Zoom, the director general of the Information Network Security Agency (INSA), Shumete Gizaw, said on Monday.

Shumete accused Facebook of deleting posts and user accounts which he said were “disseminating the true reality about Ethiopia”. Now, Ethiopia wants to put an end to the perceived censorship by developing its own social media platform.

International human rights groups have criticized the Ethiopian government for unexplained shutdowns to social media services including Facebook and WhatsApp in the past year. The government has not commented on those shutdowns.

Facebook’s Africa spokesperson, Kezia Anim-Addo, declined to comment on Ethiopia’s plans and did not respond immediately to a query about Shumete’s accusations.

But in June, days before national elections, Facebook said it had removed a network of fake accounts in Ethiopia targeting domestic users which it linked to individuals associated with INSA, which is responsible for monitoring telecommunications and the internet.

Shumete declined to specify a timeline, budget and other details, but told Reuters news agency: “The rationale behind developing technology with local capacity is clear … Why do you think China is using WeChat?”

He said Ethiopia had the local expertise to develop the platforms and would not hire outsiders to help.

Social messaging app WeChat, owned by China-based Tencent Holdings, is widely used in the country and is considered to be a strong tool by Chinese authorities for monitoring its population.

Shumete also referred Reuters to comments he made on Friday to a local media outlet in which he accused Facebook of blocking users who were “preaching national unity and peace”.

He also told Al-Ain Amharic that authorities were working on the platform to replace Facebook and Twitter, while a trial has already been completed of a platform to replace WhatsApp and Zoom and that platform will soon be operational.

While there are so many countries whose relationship with social media platforms has soured, Ethiopia is the first in recent time to move to create platforms of its own. It’s not clear if Ethiopians are in support of the government’s move, which may determine the success of indigenous social media. But if Ethiopia succeeds, other countries like Nigeria that are trying to control its social media space, may likely tow its path.