The Federal Government has announced fresh financial interventions and workforce reforms aimed at addressing long-standing grievances of medical professionals, particularly members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, confirming that President Bola Tinubu approved the expedited payment of arrears owed to health workers, including resident doctors.
According to Salako, an additional N21.3 billion has been transferred to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) account, with payments to beneficiaries already underway.
He added that another N11.995 billion is being processed for release within 72 hours to settle other outstanding arrears, including the accoutrement allowance.
"These payments are being made in line with the approved salary structure for the health sector," the minister said.
To tackle the workforce shortages caused by brain drain and excessive work hours, the Federal Government has also granted special waivers to enable large-scale recruitment of healthcare professionals across federal tertiary institutions.
Salako explained that the recruitment drive is part of a wider strategy to ensure that Nigeria’s hospitals and clinics are adequately staffed, safe, and equipped to deliver quality healthcare to citizens.
On ongoing negotiations, the minister disclosed that discussions are continuing with major health unions, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
He stressed that these measures demonstrate the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting the welfare of health workers, maintaining industrial peace, and ensuring uninterrupted healthcare services nationwide.
The announcement came amid mounting tensions following NARD’s notice to commence an indefinite nationwide strike on November 1, 2025.
In a statement released on October 26, NARD President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, said the strike directive followed the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government over unresolved welfare and administrative issues.
He disclosed that the decision was reached after a five-hour meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC), which outlined the minimum demands and operational directives for the planned industrial action.
"The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action," the statement partly read.
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