Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to take all necessary and legitimate steps to ensure that members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, who began an indefinite strike on Saturday, immediately return to work.
The directive was disclosed by the Minister of State for
Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, during a press briefing in Abuja
on Monday, following the industrial action which has paralysed services in
federal and state tertiary hospitals.
Salako said the President had given a clear mandate to
resolve the impasse and restore normalcy in the nation’s hospitals.
“Mr President has expressly directed that we do everything
possible and legitimate to ensure that the resident doctors are brought back to
their duty posts as soon as possible,” the minister stated.
Salako apologized to Nigerians affected by the strike and
said the government had been engaging NARD’s leadership to address their
19-point list of demands.
He explained that the dispute stemmed partly from a July
circular by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, which created
divisions among health workers.
The circular was later withdrawn, and a Collective
Bargaining Agreement process was launched in August to unify negotiations
across health unions, including the Nigerian Medical Association, National
Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, and Joint Health Sector Unions.
The minister said progress had been made despite
disagreements over pay relativity and the appointment of non-doctor
consultants.
“We engaged an external industrial relations expert to
mediate, and most of the 19 issues raised by NARD are already being addressed,”
he added.
Salako revealed that the Federal Government had released
N21.3bn to settle outstanding arrears and allowances, with 60 per cent of
doctors already paid.
He said another N11.9bn was being processed, while N20bn had
earlier been disbursed through the Medical Residency Training Fund.
On workforce shortages, he said 14,444 health workers were
recruited in 2024, including 3,064 resident doctors, and another 23,059
personnel were being engaged in 2025.
The President, he added, had also approved an increase in
the retirement age for clinical staff to 65 years.
Responding to one of NARD’s key demands, the minister
explained that medical and dental house officers could not be placed on the
civil service scheme because they were interns on temporary, 12-month
appointments.
“They are not regular staff and cannot be placed on
pensionable employment,” he said.
Salako also clarified that the controversial creation of
consultant cadres for non-medical staff predated the current administration,
noting that it would be resolved through dialogue.
On the dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal
Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, he said a three-man review committee had been set up
to re-examine the cases, with three of the affected doctors already approved
for reinstatement.
Reaffirming government’s commitment to dialogue, Salako
appealed to the doctors to return to work, saying, “Industrial peace cannot be
achieved through confrontation. We value the contribution of our health
workers, and the President especially values the resident doctors. If it were
possible, we would pay them N50m monthly, because no one can fully compensate
their service.”
The Minister of State also disclosed that doctors in the
public service currently earn about 50 per cent more than other health
professionals, underscoring government’s prioritisation of their welfare
despite economic constraints.
Meanwhile, NARD, in a statement by its President, Dr.
Muhammad Suleiman, and other executives, insisted that its demands were neither
new nor unreasonable, but essential for a sustainable healthcare system.
The association accused the government of failing to
implement long-standing agreements, including unpaid salary arrears, delayed
allowances, and irregular promotions, while warning that the strike would
continue until verifiable progress was made.
“NARD’s 19 legitimate demands represent the minimum
requirements for a sustainable healthcare system and for restoring dignity to
medical practice in Nigeria,” the statement said, decrying unsafe work
conditions and mass emigration of doctors.
Similarly, the Association of Resident Doctors in the
Federal Capital Territory Administration vowed to continue its strike until all
outstanding arrears and welfare issues were addressed.
ARD-FCTA President, Dr. George Ebong, said several doctors
employed since 2023 were still unpaid, while new recruits were being offered
lower salary scales.
“Our situation in the FCTA is peculiar. Even if NARD
suspends its strike today, we will continue ours until our demands are met,” he
said.
The doctors urged FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to intervene
decisively, warning that bureaucratic sabotage was undermining his earlier
approvals.
“We can’t fix the medical system on the pages of newspapers.
We are ready to work, but we can’t give what we don’t have,” Ebong added.
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