The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued a fresh 30-day ultimatum to the federal government to resolve a raft of unresolved welfare and policy grievances, including months of unpaid salary arrears, delayed promotions, and the reinstatement of five sacked doctors.
The threat was contained in a communiqué released on Sunday at the close of the association’s 45th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, held in Katsina State from 21 to 26 September. The statement was signed by NARD’s new president, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, alongside secretary-general, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim, and publicity secretary, Dr Abdulmajid Ibrahim.
The conference, which focused on “Mitigating Health Worker Migration through Extra-Remuneration Incentives”, marked a change of leadership, with Suleiman succeeding Dr Tope Osundara.
Earlier this month, the union embarked on a five-day warning strike, suspended after two days when the government released funds for the Medical Residency Training Fund and pledged to address other demands within a fortnight.
But at the AGM, doctors voiced frustration over what they described as systemic neglect of their welfare and the wider health system. They cited unsafe and excessive call-duty hours, a 16-year delay in revising the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), non-payment of corrected professional allowances, and months of outstanding promotion arrears.
The union condemned the casualisation of medical staff, the dismissal of five doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital in Lokoja, and persistent delays in implementing the Medical Residency Training Act. It also decried worsening brain drain, crumbling hospital infrastructure, the exclusion of house officers from the Civil Service Scheme, and the failure to enforce agreed pension benefits.
From 1 October, NARD has instructed members to refuse more than 24 consecutive hours of call duty, citing international standards. It also demanded immediate payment of accumulated arrears, corrected allowance tables, and the adoption of a one-for-one replacement policy to ease workloads.
The communiqué called on the health ministry to reinstate the Lokoja doctors within 30 days and urged the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to restore recognition of West African postgraduate certificates. It pressed for decentralised promotion processes, prompt payment of specialist allowances, and the inclusion of house officers in the civil service with regular salaries and payslips.
Beyond welfare, the doctors said they would intensify lobbying of the National Assembly to secure adequate healthcare funding in the 2026 budget and demanded swift implementation of special pension benefits for medical professionals.
