Tension Mounts As Resident Doctors Hand FG 30-Day Ultimatum Over Unmet Demands

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has handed the Federal Government a fresh 30-day ultimatum to address long-standing welfare and policy issues, including unpaid salary arrears, pending promotion entitlements, and the reinstatement of five dismissed doctors.

This demand was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of NARD’s 45th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference held in Katsina State between September 21 and 26. The document was jointly signed by the newly elected President, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman; Secretary-General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim; and Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr. Abdulmajid Ibrahim.

The AGM, themed “Mitigating Health Worker Migration through Extra-Remuneration Incentives: A Strategy for Sustainable Development”, also featured a change of leadership, with Suleiman taking over from Dr. Tope Osundara.

In the communiqué, the doctors lamented what they described as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, urging the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to urgently establish clear and humane call-duty hours. Pending such reforms, NARD directed its members nationwide to stop exceeding 24 hours of continuous call duty from October 1, 2025, in line with global best practices.

The doctors highlighted several unresolved issues, including:

1. Unpaid arrears from the 25/35 per cent CONMESS review.

2. Outstanding 2024 accoutrement allowance and other salaries.

3. Accumulated promotion arrears and corrected professional allowances.

4. The need for a one-for-one replacement policy to address workload caused by brain drain.

The body also condemned the casualisation of doctors, delays in implementing the Medical Residency Training Act, and the dismissal of five resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja. It warned that failure to reinstate the sacked doctors within 30 days could trigger nationwide industrial action.

NARD further demanded:

• Recognition of West African postgraduate membership certificates.

• Immediate issuance of membership by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

• Decentralisation of promotions and training processes.

The association stressed the need for urgent settlement of arrears, full implementation of CONMESS across federal, state, and private institutions, and expedited negotiations on a Collective Bargaining Agreement that has been pending for 16 years.

It also appealed to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to address the welfare concerns of resident doctors at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho.

On policy matters, NARD resolved to intensify lobbying of the National Assembly for increased health sector funding in the 2026 Appropriation Act and demanded the immediate introduction of special pension benefits for doctors.