Sunday, January 11, 2026 - The North-Central caucus of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) on Friday demanded the immediate reinstatement of their colleagues dismissed from the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Lokoja, Kogi State.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, caucus leader Dr
Fanen Dogoh said the affected doctors were sacked over allegations of unauthorized
protest and union activities, describing the action as unjust and unacceptable.
Dogoh said the caucus was aware that several committees had
been set up to review the matter, all of which reportedly recommended the
reinstatement of the dismissed doctors. He added that despite these
recommendations and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the
Federal Government and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the
government had failed to act.
He also expressed concern over unpaid allowances and arrears
owed to resident doctors in several federal institutions. He cited doctors at
the Federal Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Benue State, who are allegedly owed 18
months’ arrears and other allowances, as well as their counterparts in Ilorin,
Kwara State.
Dogoh urged the Federal Government to urgently address all
unresolved issues raised during engagements with NARD, warning that failure to
do so could lead to a nationwide shutdown of resident doctors’ services. He
said the association would commence a strike on Monday, January 12, if the
government failed to honour the MoU.
“Government must look into these issues and resolve them.
These are some of the fundamental reasons why we are planning a strike. Another
critical issue is payment at the entry point of doctors. Government must also
respect the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which has remained stalled and
requires urgent resumption,” he said.
He further noted that some outstanding allowances and arrears
were not captured in the 2026 budget, describing this as a sign of neglect that
could drive many doctors out of the country.
Also speaking, Vice President II of NARD, Dr Kwarshak Kelvin,
called on the Federal Government to urgently address the welfare concerns of
resident doctors or risk a total shutdown of the health system. He said it was
unclear whether accurate information about doctors’ welfare was reaching
President Bola Tinubu and appealed to him to intervene.
Kelvin also urged the Minister of Health and Social Welfare
to transmit promotion arrears for doctors in federal hospitals to the
appropriate authorities for payment or inclusion in the budget. He said delays
in transmitting promotion letters to the Budget Office and the Ministry of
Finance had stalled the entire process.
He raised concerns over the professional allowance table
released in November 2025, which took effect from June 2024. According to him,
implementation was expected to begin in January 2026, amounting to about 18
months of arrears.
“However, the government has not written to the Budget Office
for this to be captured in the 2026 budget, nor has implementation commenced.
This effectively means the process has been halted,” he said
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