₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has insisted that its ongoing nationwide strike remained indefinite until the 19-point demands by its members were met.

The association also described the federal government’s claim of N43bn arrears payment as misleading, stating that only a fraction of the funds mentioned actually applied to resident doctors.

Speaking with our correspondent, NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, lamented that out of the association’s 19-point demands, only two – the 25–35 per cent salary review and the accoutrement allowance are being addressed – while “17 remain unresolved.”

“This strike is still indefinite until all our minimum demands are met,” he said.

NARD began its indefinite nationwide strike on Saturday, November 1, 2025, following what it described as the government’s failure to meet its 19-point list of “minimum expectations.” The action has already disrupted services in federal and state-owned hospitals across the country.

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in a statement by its Head of Information and Public Relations, Alaba Balogun, maintained that the government has released substantial funds to address outstanding payments and continues to engage with unions to restore normalcy.

The ministry also disclosed that the government has granted special waivers for the recruitment of 15,000 additional health workers in 2025, following the employment of over 20,000 in 2024, and has engaged a mediator, Prof. Dafe Otobo, to facilitate negotiations.

“In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare commenced the payment of seven months’ arrears of the 25/35 per cent upward review of CONMESS and CONHESS to all categories of health workers with N10 billion paid in August 2025.

“Following the approval of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for these arrears owed to health workers including members of NARD to be paid expeditiously, as of Thursday 30th October, another sum of 21.3 billion naira has been moved to the IPPIS account and payment has commenced.

“In addition, the sum of 11.995 billion is being processed for release within 72 hours to pay other arrears including accoutrement allowance. All these payments are being enjoyed by members of NARD in accordance with the salary structure in the health sector.

“Additionally, the Federal Government has released ₦10.6 billion as at September 2025 as full payment for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) paid exclusively to resident doctors nationwide,” the ministry explained.

But, reacting to the claims, the NARD president said: “Let me put a few things into perspective. We have salary arrears of two years and allowance arrears of one year. The 25–35 per cent salary arrears started accumulating from June to December 2023. 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,” Suleiman said.

He further clarified that part of the proposed payments, such as the ₦2.9 billion accoutrement allowance, was still under processing by the Ministry of Finance and has not been disbursed. He noted that other funds, including ₦400 million for the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and ₦2.4 billion for consultants’ non-clinical duties, do not concern resident doctors.

Suleiman also faulted the government’s portrayal of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) as a new or special gesture, emphasising that it is a statutory entitlement established by law since 2017.

“Every year, we have to threaten or go on strike before they pay the residency training fund,” he stressed.

Dr. Suleiman, however, commended the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, and the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Anite, for their responsiveness.

“I appreciate these two ministers because they acted swiftly when they saw our strike notice. But I also call on officials in the Ministry of Health to come to the table honestly so that this strike can end,” he added.

Among NARD’s ey demands are: “immediate payment of outstanding 25–35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) arrears and the 2024 accoutrement allowance.

“Settlement of all pending financial entitlements owed to health workers, reinstatement of five resident doctors unjustly dismissed from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, along with payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances, implement a humane “working-hours policy” in line with international best practices, to promote both physician well-being and patient safety.

“Granting hospital Chief Executives greater autonomy to hire replacements immediately under the one-for-one replacement policy, upgrading and maintaining medical infrastructure nationwide, and commencing payment of specialist allowances to all doctors.

“Inclusion of medical and dental house officers in the civil service scheme, correction of all entry-level placements for doctors, and decentralisation of promotion processes. The association also demanded payment of all arrears resulting from these corrections, and speedy completion of the Collective Bargaining Agreement Committee’s work on the overdue review of CONMESS and related allowances.”:

While both NARD and the government claim commitment to dialogue, the impasse appears far from over, with NARD maintaining that “the strike remains indefinite until all 19 demands are met.”

https://leadership.ng/nard-faults-federal-governments-n43bn-arrears-claim-insists-strike-remains-indefinite/

Previous Thread:
https://www.nairaland.com/8552376/resident-doctors-strike-fg-set

If this is not a disgraceful country, how can illiterates be determining the welfare package of medical doctors

I stand with you doctors. is not easy. u are not well paid and still owe u ur sweat. if u people japa now, government will be complaining

May you not be sick and experience bad health. Which way Nigeria.

Politicians, sat down, prepared the best pay packages for them selves and their families but they cant pay doctors well, no good packages for them. Well, is it their fault? No!
It is the fault of the masses, na we dey dull. If we are serious and demand on the street, no gree for anybody, them go cut their useless over sized pay packages and channel that to reasonable and useful workforce such as healthcare and security personal. But these criminals will buy 300m cars every 4 years for them selves from our sweat and expect us to manage. I no blame them, na we give them such liver. If 50 percent is like me eh, these country for don change. U dont handle black politicians with softness, they need hardened minds to confront them. They are wicked and useless.

What are dey using subsidy money do please. This is question that need answer

Funny how when these doctors go on strike, they go for only their salary and other better working conditions.
And no one ever calls them selfish.

But the moment ASUU goes on strike, not for their salary, but for the education sector,
The very people ASUU is fighting for will troop out to call them selfish.

What A Time To Be A Tinubu

Tinubu is a disaster
APC is a disaster
The FG is a disaster
The minister for health is a disaster

tishbite41:
What A Time To Be A Tinubu

Baba just dey collect woto woto from every angle.

I know he'd like to run away to france for 1 month again.

This leaders are nothing but absolute disgrace....from pampering terrorist to not being competent...the only thing they do well is loot and loot and loot that's all.

Nairaland bot banning people anyhow


This is not fair at all


Can't we say the truth and let the truth be?

Why ban us for saying the truth?

Us€sle§§§ country

They don't owe politicians in arrears but they owe lecturer and doctors in arrears


I pray Trump come to take over Nigeria quickly.. We can't continue with these vultures called politicians

This government is so wonderful....

princeade86:
What are dey using subsidy money do please. This is question that need answer

The $84 billion subsidy savings is being stolen for bribing politicians to mobilise voters for 2027, so that Tinubu can be life president like Cameroon’s Biya.

NaijaRoyalty:
…Says Buhari doesn’t have my kind of money

However, Buhari doesn’t have the kind of money I can steal neither does he have the money I can collect. He doesn’t even have the money for Lagos votes. So, whatever I promise, it’s for real and is coming from my pocket. It’s not until I go to Alausa before I get money to give you.”

Addressing APC supporters on the need to deliver votes, Tinubu said handsome cash rewards await those who can deliver votes for the party.

He said he would not make mistakes of the past where people would collect money in advance and not deliver on election day.

Tinubu added, “Those of you that say you come to Bourdillon for mobilisation, it is mobilisation that we are doing here or don’t you understand? Definitely, if you know people in your neighbourhood, our members, how we used to do.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/i-said-i-was-richer-than-osun-state-tinubu-admits/%3famp

They are doing the bidding of their slave master

kings59:
Nairaland bot banning people anyhow


This is not fair at all


Can't we say the truth and let the truth be?

Why ban us for saying the truth?

I’m enjoying the strike tho. Taking a well deserved rest before hitting the streets of Lagos over the next couple of days to make urgent 2k 🫠🫠
LONG LIVE NARD!!!

PheelzAlmighty:
This government is so wonderful....

….
………..very wonderful for misplaced priorities

chisomkachy:
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s first supplementary budget includes a fleet of SUVs for himself and his wife, a presidential yacht and the renovation of his villa amid a cost-of-living crisis for some of the poorest people in the world.

The proposal — which seeks additional funding beyond the annual budget approved by Tinubu’s predecessor — comes as the government asks Nigerians to persevere through pain caused in part by a raft of economic reforms ushered in by the new president. Africa’s most populous country faces rampant unemployment, soaring food prices and a plummeting currency.

Federal lawmakers approved the president’s request for extra spending on Thursday, but eliminated the provision of 5 billion naira ($6.01 million) to buy a presidential yacht. Instead, they doubled the allocation to a student loan fund to 10 billion naira, according Abubakar Bichi, chairman of an appropriations committee in the House of Representatives.

The lawmakers approved 1.5 billion-naira proposed to purchase SUVs for the office of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu — an amount larger than that allocated to many individual federal colleges. The supplementary budget also proposes almost 6 billion naira to purchase SUVs for the presidency — more than the amount initially allocated to fund a student loan program for poor families.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-02/nigeria-budgets-for-suvs-and-yachts-amid-economic-hardship

A fantastically corrupt government. True and true

Let's be sincerely honest with ourselves...
Nigeria ie a failed nation.
The sooner we set aside tribalism,we can still salvage this nation before it turns to a situation that we all will have to go to extremes to survive.

obonujoker:
If this is not a disgraceful country, how can illiterates be determining the welfare package of medical doctors

It can only happen in Nigeria.

Brendaniel:
What exactly did Tinubu become president for?

Why was he so desperate to become president?

To be going to France? Ask his supporters.

If they try travel now una go start sabotage. If you know the cost of medical education and the gallop nobody go blame them. The highest regrets I have for labour is the teaching profession they have failed to manage properly . The nursery-secondary school teachers issue is the bedrock issue of this country every other profession hang on them. So since this sector isn't solved. Professions and educational issues, standards and tech can never be solved in Nigeria. Foundation of a house speaks volume

Look at examples of a failed government; doctors on strike, ASUU almost went on strike, genocide on Christians and the people of benue and plateau, protest here and there etc. So, tell me, has APC not failed?

Try and collect that money first..
A bird in hand is better than 2 in the bush

princeade86:
What are dey using subsidy money do please. This is question that need answer

..they use it to buy private jets, flashy cars and buy mansions at abroad

Brendaniel:
What exactly did Tinubu become president for?

Why was he so desperate to become president?

..to chop and enjoy the national cake 🙄

This are the resources northerners are claiming US wants to come and take

I have never seen a failure like this Nigerian government. A regime built on lies

Good one.. tinibu is a failure to Nigerians