Tag: NARD

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to personally intervene and avert a looming indefinite nationwide strike scheduled to begin on November 1.

The union warned that government inaction and misrepresentation by officials have worsened the plight of doctors across the country.

NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, said many of those briefing the President on the state of negotiations were not being truthful about the real situation, despite the suffering Nigerians would face if the strike was allowed to begin.

He said doctors have endured years of neglect, unpaid arrears, and poor working conditions that have forced many to seek better opportunities abroad.

Sulemna said Nigeria now has fewer than 11,000 resident doctors, down from over 20,000 a decade ago.

The NARD president warned that the government’s continued indifference was driving the country towards a medical workforce crisis.

Addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja, Sulieman said: “Mr. President, you are surrounded by people who present themselves as professionals, but many of them are politicians with personal ambitions. They come to you and say, ‘Leave these resident doctors; we’ve settled their problems.’ But the truth is that our issues have not been resolved.

“You are presiding over a nation where doctors have not been treated fairly, even before your administration. Yet, these same people come to you claiming everything is fine.  They are not telling you the truth. Don’t take only my word for it—call other unions, ask questions, and check the records. The facts are there.

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“I can tell you in good conscience that some of them are already planning dubious actions to discredit us when our strike begins.

“But who are we, really? We are not enemies of the government. We are doctors who simply want to return to our hospitals, wards, and clinics to care for our patients.

 “All we are asking for is the bare minimum: our legitimate salaries, allowances, and entitlements. These are not new demands. They are agreements that have already been reached but not honoured.

“Mr. President, while those in high offices continue to receive their full salaries and allowances, it is those of us working on the frontlines who are left unpaid.

“I appeal to you, as the father of the nation, to intervene and resolve this crisis once and for all.”

…to observe progress for 2 weeks

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has said the suspension of its five-day warning strike on Sunday was due to the commencement of the payment of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to members who had previously been owed.

The union said it decided to call off the strike after receiving assurances from the Federal Government to address its outstanding demands, adding that it would monitor the promise for two weeks.

Besides, the union said the action was taken in view of the hardship effects of the strike on Nigerians seeking health care were going through due to the strike

The President of the association, Dr. Tope Osundara, said, “We did this as a sign of goodwill and to assist Nigerians who are seeking healthcare in our various facilities”.

However, in a memo signed by Osundara, Secretary-General, Dr. Odunbaku Kazeem Oluwasola, and Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr. Amobi Omoha, on Sunday, the association said the decision came after a virtual Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held on September 13.

The strike, which began on September 12, was suspended effective 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 14, 2025, to give the government a two-week window to implement the agreements contained in NARD’s communiqué.

In the communique, besides the payment of the MRTF to all eligible members, the other outstanding demands yet to receive immediate attention include the payment of the outstanding five months’ arrears from the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) review and the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance.

They also criticized the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for downgrading West African postgraduate membership certificates and faulted the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria for delaying the issuance of certificates, in addition to the prompt release of a corrected circular on doctors’ remuneration from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC)

NARD said the suspension of the warning strike, alongside the government’s renewed commitment to dialogue, informed the suspension of the action.

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“After due deliberations, and considering the plight of Nigerians grappling with health issues in the present harsh economy, the NEC resolved to suspend the strike action to allow the government a two-week window to fully implement our demands,” the memo read.

The doctors, however, issued a stern warning to the Oyo State Government, urging it to comply with the 15-day ultimatum issued by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State branch, over unresolved welfare issues at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.

Failure to act, NARD cautioned, would compel its National Officers’ Committee (NOC) to direct all resident doctors in Oyo State to embark on an indefinite solidarity strike.

The association also called on other state governments to swiftly address welfare challenges facing doctors in their tertiary hospitals, noting that members in affected states were empowered by the NEC to continue with their industrial actions until genuine commitments were made.

NARD, however, reaffirmed its commitment to working with all levels of government to ensure better welfare for health workers and a stronger healthcare system for Nigerians.

The 10-day ultimatum the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) issued to the Federal Government expired yesterday.

The association said its National Executive Council (NEC) was set to meet last night to deliberate on its next line of action.

A senior NARD official, who spoke in confidence, told The Nation that the association’s NEC would review the strike and take necessary decisions, going forward.

The doctors condemned the Federal Government’s failure to pay the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to all eligible members, alongside outstanding five months’ arrears from the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) review and the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance.

They also criticised the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for downgrading the West African postgraduate membership certificates and faulted the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria for delaying the issuance of its certificates.

NARD also accused the Kaduna and Oyo State governments of failing to honour agreements they reached with its members, insisting that ongoing strikes in affected hospitals would continue.

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The union leader said: “The 10-day ultimatum ends today. The meeting will be held later tonight, and we are going to communicate our resolution to you afterwards.”

The NARD official explained that although negotiations with the government had been ongoing, little progress had been made since the ultimatum was issued.

“Since the ultimatum, the government has not done anything,” the NARD official said, adding that the Ministry of Finance remained the major stumbling block in implementing the agreements the union reached with the government.

At the centre of the dispute are the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), arrears of allowances, specialist allowances, and recognition of certificates by regulatory bodies.

“Yes, the Finance Ministry is the problem concerning allowance payment. On their own part, the Ministry of Health has done what they are supposed to do, because they are the direct employer. Where we are having issues is at the point of release,” she said.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued a four-week ultimatum to the federal government to meet a set of long-standing demands affecting its members or risk a reassessment of the situation that could lead to industrial action. 

This resolution followed the Association’s May Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) and Scientific Conference, held from May 26 to 31, 2025, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The theme of the conference, “The Medical Profession: Policies, Politics, and Future Prospects,” underscored the complex environment in which doctors operate. 

The conference drew speakers and panellists that examined the interplay between ethics, law, and healthcare delivery, with participation from government officials, medical experts, and policymakers.

In the communique, NARD acknowledged some progress made by the Federal Government and relevant agencies, particularly in the ongoing disbursement of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) for 2025 and the clearance of MRTF arrears from 2022 to 2024. 

However, the Association expressed deep disappointment over a range of outstanding issues, particularly the non-payment of arrears resulting from the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and the failure to implement long-promised consequential salary adjustments dating back to 2009.

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The doctors also condemned the persistent exclusion of resident doctors from specialist allowances, despite their critical role in delivering expert medical care in tertiary hospitals across the country. 

The continued casualization of doctors and the resulting poor remuneration by heads of tertiary health institutions were described as unacceptable.

The OGM noted that for over 16 years, resident doctors have endured stagnant salaries without adjustments commensurate with inflation or policy changes, in breach of the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

The unaddressed concerns, the group noted, contradict the government’s own National Policy on Health Workforce, which calls for better incentives to retain healthcare workers.

Of particular concern is the situation at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), where the Association reports that resident doctors and medical officers are still owed between 7 and 14 months in salary arrears. 

In addition, the March 2024 salaries for many of the hospital’s doctors remain unpaid, exacerbating already dire working conditions, the association regretted.

The association condemned the Federal Government’s failure to pay the 2024 accoutrement allowance arrears and the refusal by some Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) to comply with payments already approved.

It, however, commended a number of State governments for their progressive health sector reforms and prompt payment of allowances, including those of Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Abia, Benue, Kwara, Enugu, and Delta States.

In its resolutions, NARD demanded immediate payment of the 25/35% CONMESS salary arrears; full implementation of consequential salary adjustments to reflect the 2019 and 2024 minimum wage increases; expedited disbursement of the 2025 MRTF to all eligible doctors; and full settlement of the 2023/2024 accoutrement allowance arrears by CMDs and the Federal Government.

The association is also demanding the inclusion of resident doctors in the specialist allowance payment scheme, in addition to the regularisation and full remuneration of locum (temporary) doctors as well as a swift resolution of welfare issues at OAUTHC.

Nard, however, resolved to give the government a four-week window within which to address all pending issues. 

During this period, NARD said its National Officers’ Committee will continue engagements with relevant authorities. 

“Failure to achieve satisfactory progress will prompt the National Executive Council (NEC) to reassess the situation and determine the next course of action,” the communique affirmed.

The Association, nonetheless, commended President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Senate and House leadership, Health Ministers, State governors, and heads of relevant health institutions for their roles in ongoing dialogue and sectoral reforms.

However, NARD made it clear that goodwill alone would no longer suffice, “We have exercised restraint, we have engaged in dialogue, but the time has come for action. 

“The well-being of Nigeria’s doctors cannot be postponed indefinitely,” the doctors stressed.

With rising emigration among medical professionals and increasing gaps in hospital manpower across Nigeria, the doctors say the government must act decisively now or risk a worsening healthcare crisis.

Consultant doctors at many government hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) did not participate in the ongoing one-week nationwide warning strike declared by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

The warning strike started at midnight yesterday.

NARD took the action to put pressure on the government and its security agents to rescue the Registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola-Olawale, from her abductors.

Dr. Popoola-Olawale was seized on December 27, last year, alongside her husband and nephew from the senior staff quarters of the hospital.

While her husband was released in March, Dr. Popoola-Olawale and her nephew have remained in captivity.

NARD members, who had staged several protests and issued multiple appeals for their colleague’s release, announced their decision to embark on a nationwide strike in a communiqué they issued yesterday.

The decision came on the heels of NARD’s extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held virtually on August 25.

The communiqué, signed by NARD President, Dr. Dele Abdullahi Olaitan; Secretary-General, Dr. Anaduaka Christopher Obinna; and Public & Social Secretary, Dr. Egbe John Jonah, outlined the association’s grave concerns over the safety and well-being of Dr. Popoola-Olawale, as well as their frustration with the government’s handling of the situation.

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“The NEC resolves to go on a one-week total nationwide warning strike starting from midnight, 12 a.m on Monday, August 26, 2024.

“The NEC noted with dismay the continued detention of our member, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola-Olawale, despite the efforts made so far by the security agencies and the government on her release,” the communiqué said.

Despite the declaration of the warning strike, consultant doctors, nurses, and other health workers have been attending to patients in many hospitals our correspondent visited yesterday in Abuja.

The Nation reports that consultants and other medical workers attended to patients with emergency cases.

Doctors at the National Hospital in Abuja; the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) at Kubwa as well as Maitama and Abaji General Hospitals were seen attending to patients.

The emergency units of the hospitals had a crowd of patients and their relatives.

A doctor at Kubwa General Hospital, who pleaded not to be named, told The Nation that they could not abandon the patients in an emergency.

“Yes, resident doctors are on strike. But, as you can see, we are here attending to these patients. We cannot possibly abandon the emergency cases.

“If you go round, you will see that our personnel are at all emergency points, labour rooms and the rest.

“What we do is to attend to them, stabilise the critical cases and refer them, if they are beyond what we can cope with here.

“We can’t close our hearts to these patients,” she said.

Another nurse at Maitama General Hospital gave a similar reason for attending to patients, especially those with emergency cases.