The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Monday November 3rd insisted its nationwide strike remains indefinite until the federal government meets all items on a 19-point demand list, rejecting government claims that most arrears and allowances have been paid.
NARD President Dr. Muhammad Suleiman told our correspondent that only two of the association’s 19 minimum demands — the 25–35 per cent salary upward review and the accoutrement allowance — are being addressed, while “17 remain unresolved.” “This strike is still indefinite until all our minimum demands are met,” Dr. Suleiman said.
NARD commenced the industrial action on Saturday, November 1st, after describing the federal response to its demand list as inadequate. The strike has disrupted services across federal and state-owned hospitals, with many public facilities operating at reduced capacity or referring patients to private providers.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through its Head of Information and Public Relations, Alaba Balogun, said the government has released substantial funds and remains engaged in negotiations. The ministry said the government had authorised recruitment waivers and payments intended to address outstanding obligations:
* Special waiver to recruit 15,000 additional health workers in 2025 (following over 20,000 hires in 2024).
* Payment of seven months’ arrears of the 25–35 per cent CONMESS/CONHESS upward review, with N10 billion paid in August 2025.
* A further N21.3 billion moved to IPPIS accounts as of October 30 for arrears payments, with N11.995 billion being processed for release within 72 hours for remaining arrears including accoutrement allowances.
* N10.6 billion released in September 2025 as full payment for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to resident doctors nationwide.
Despite these figures, Dr. Suleiman said the government’s accounting is misleading because only a fraction of the announced sums directly benefit resident doctors. He told reporters that the 25–35 per cent arrears date back to June–December 2023, and that salary arrears span two years while some allowance arrears extend for one year.
“Let me put a few things into perspective. We have salary arrears of two years and allowance arrears of one year. Yet the federal government is calling big numbers and claiming they’ve paid ₦43 billion as if it’s all for doctors — that’s not true,” Dr. Suleiman said. He added that some line items cited by the government — including ₦400 million allegedly for JOHESU and ₦2.4 billion for consultants’ non-clinical duties — do not concern resident doctors.
Dr. Suleiman said the ₦2.9 billion accoutrement allowance remained under processing by the Ministry of Finance and had not been disbursed to recipients. He also characterised the MRTF as a long-standing statutory entitlement — established by law in 2017 — and not a new or discretionary gesture, adding that the fund is often paid only after industrial pressure.
The Ministry of Health acknowledged ministerial engagement and said it had secured approval from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for payments to be expedited. The ministry also said Prof. Dafe Otobo had been engaged as a mediator in talks with unions.
Dr. Suleiman commended the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, and the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Anite, for responsiveness, but called on Ministry of Health officials to “come to the table honestly” to end the strike.
NARD’s outstanding demands include, among others: immediate payment of outstanding CONMESS/CONHESS arrears; payment of the 2024 accoutrement allowance; settlement of all pending financial entitlements; reinstatement of five resident doctors dismissed from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja; a humane working-hours policy; autonomy for hospital chief executives to hire replacements under a one-for-one rule; infrastructure upgrades; payment of specialist allowances; inclusion of house officers in the civil service scheme; correction of entry-level placements and decentralisation of promotion processes; and completion of the Collective Bargaining Agreement Committee’s overdue review.
Both the government and NARD say they remain committed to dialogue, but the union’s position is firm: the strike will continue until all 19 demands are fully met.
