Resident Doctors Move to Suspend Planned Strike After Meeting With Presidency
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) is set to suspend its planned nationwide strike after reaching key agreements with the Federal Government during a meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The meeting, which lasted about three hours at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, focused on the doctors’ outstanding demands, including unpaid salaries, allowances, promotions and welfare concerns.
Last week, NARD announced it would begin a nationwide strike on August 10 if the government failed to address its grievances.
Speaking after the meeting, NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, said significant progress had been made, adding that most of the issues raised by the association had been resolved.
“Our matters are solved,” he said, noting that both sides agreed on clear timelines for resolving outstanding salary, promotion and allowance issues.
According to him, agreements were also reached on the long-standing meal subsidy issue at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), with implementation expected within a week.
The association also secured a commitment that house officers would no longer experience delays in receiving their salaries.
Suleiman said the Chief of Staff directed that house officers’ salaries must be paid before the 10th of every month.
He added that discussions also covered the completion of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between NARD and the Federal Government. The Ministries of Health and Labour have now been tasked with speeding up the process so that any agreed benefits can be included in the 2027 budget.
NARD also raised concerns over the increasing attacks on healthcare workers, revealing that 31 doctors and more than 20 other health workers had been assaulted in the past 10 months.
In response, the Federal Government pledged to strengthen security at public hospitals, launch public awareness campaigns against violence towards health workers and pursue legislation that would make assaulting medical personnel a more serious offence.
On unpaid hazard and specialist allowances, Suleiman explained that the issue dates back several years when doctors received only part of their entitlements. Although the Tinubu administration corrected the payment structure earlier this year, some arrears remain outstanding.
He said the amount owed is now lower than previously estimated and that the Budget Office is expected to provide a timeline for payment.
Despite expressing confidence that the issues had been resolved, Suleiman said the association’s National Executive Council would still meet before making an official announcement on suspending the strike.
However, a source familiar with the discussions disclosed that NARD leaders had already assured the Chief of Staff that the planned industrial action would be called off, following the agreements reached during the meeting.
