Strike Threat: Minister Begs Resident Doctors

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, has appealed to nonmigratory doctors to workout patience, assuring them that their long-awaited allowances volition soon deed their accounts.

Salako, who spoke during an interrogation connected Arise Television yesterday, disclosed that the national authorities had already processed the funds done the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), with disbursement expected to bespeak successful the doctors’ accounts immoderate moment.

“As aboriginal arsenic this evening, the allowances should commencement dropping. The wealth has already entered the IPPIS relationship and is owed for disbursement. So, I expect the doctors to person outgo precise shortly,” the curate said.

The assurance comes amid mounting tension. The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) issued a caller 24-hour ultimatum to the authorities aft its 10-day deadline expired connected September 10.

Following a six-hour virtual gathering of its National Executive Council connected Wednesday, the relation resolved to down tools if its demands remained unmet.

While acknowledging that wellness workers crossed the state are overworked and nether pressure, Dr. Salako stressed that dialogue, not strikes, remained the champion way to resolving disputes successful the wellness sector.

“We recognise their grievances and we are engaging with them. Beyond allowances, different demands are besides being addressed done ongoing corporate bargaining meetings involving doctors, nurses, and different wellness workers.

“These processes instrumentality time, but I tin guarantee Nigerians that the authorities is committed to uncovering lasting solutions,” helium said.

The curate further noted that though galore of the sector‘s challenges, specified arsenic inadequate powerfulness proviso successful hospitals, cannot beryllium solved overnight, the authorities is moving to make the close argumentation situation and leverage public-private partnerships to easiness the load connected wellness facilities.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) whitethorn onslaught nationwide connected Friday, December 12, 2025, to property location its demands.

The doctors had issued a 10-day ultimatum to the national authorities and applicable authorities, which expired connected Wednesday without meaningful action. NARD recalled that successful July, it had fixed a three-week ultimatum but extended it to let for further dialogue, efforts it said yielded nary results.

Although the authorities met with the doctors connected Wednesday and promised to code their grievances, NARD said the assurances were not convincing. After a six-hour exigency deliberation connected Wednesday night, the relation issued a caller 24-hour ultimatum, demanding contiguous action.

Top among the doctors’ demands are the outgo of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), colony of 5 months’ wage arrears from the 25/35 per cent CONMESS review, and different outstanding entitlements.

NARD besides raised concerns implicit the non-payment of the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance, delays successful issuing rank certificates by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), and the downgrading of West African postgraduate certificates by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

At the authorities level, NARD accused the Kaduna State Government of failing to honour agreements with doctors astatine Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital and the Oyo State Government of neglecting payment issues astatine LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, wherever doctors person been connected indefinite strike.

The relation reiterated its demands, including the contiguous disbursement of the 2025 MRTF, colony of each outstanding wage arrears, outgo of the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance, commencement of specializer allowance payments, designation of West African postgraduate certificates, and urgent solution of payment issues successful Kaduna and Oyo states.

The doctors whitethorn embark connected a nationwide onslaught contiguous arsenic the caller ultimatum expires this morning.