The Federal Government has said the ongoing strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) is the result of long-standing structural and policy challenges in the health sector, not neglect by the current administration.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, stated this on Tuesday in a statement issued by the Ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr Alaba Balogun.
Salako said the government has shown commitment to improving the welfare of health workers through recent reforms, including the upward review of professional allowances estimated at about ₦90 billion annually.
According to him, the revised allowances, approved in November 2025, cover call duty, shift duty, non-clinical duty and rural posting allowances. He noted that the process was jointly negotiated with all health professional groups in the sector.
The minister explained that previous negotiations were often handled separately, with different professional groups engaging the government independently. This, he said, resulted in conflicting agreements on pay parity and relativity, frequently leading to industrial actions.
He said the present administration has adopted a collective bargaining framework to promote inclusiveness, fairness and industrial harmony across the health sector.
Salako added that while the government remains committed to improving remuneration for healthcare workers, such decisions must be balanced with other national priorities, including education, security and infrastructure development.
On the current demands by NARD, the minister noted that the association’s list of demands has reduced from 19 to nine, describing this as a positive step in the ongoing negotiations.
However, he said some of the demands are constrained by existing public service rules and approved schemes of service.
Addressing the demand for specialist allowances for resident doctors, Salako said resident doctors are still specialists-in-training, adding that the allowance is currently reserved for consultants in line with existing regulations.
He also disclosed that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had cautioned that extending the allowance to resident doctors could open the door to similar demands from other categories of workers undergoing specialist training.
On the disengagement of five resident doctors in Lokoja, the minister clarified that the action followed established civil service disciplinary procedures.
He revealed that a ministerial review panel has recommended the reinstatement of two of the doctors, reprimand for two others, and a fresh disciplinary hearing for one.
Salako assured Nigerians that the Ministry of Health, working with the Ministry of Labour and other relevant stakeholders, remains committed to sustained dialogue aimed at stabilising the health sector and preventing disruptions to healthcare service delivery.
NARD represents medical doctors undergoing postgraduate training in teaching hospitals across the country. The association has frequently embarked on industrial action to demand improved working conditions, timely payment of allowances and better remuneration structures.
FG Blames Doctors’ Strike on Structural, Policy Gaps, Not Neglect
