President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to take immediate steps to end the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a press briefing following NARD’s declaration of an indefinite strike.

The resident doctors said their nationwide “total, comprehensive, and indefinite” strike, which commenced on Saturday, will continue until the federal government meets its demands.

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Findings by Daily Trust showed that many health facilities where resident doctors provide essential services were largely deserted on Monday.

NARD listed 19 unresolved demands, including unpaid arrears, allowances, and entitlements such as the 25/35 percent CONMESS review, promotion arrears, upgrade arrears, and accoutrement allowance, some pending for over five years.

The association described the list as the minimum requirement to sustain the nation’s healthcare system and restore dignity to medical practice.

It decried prolonged delays in promotions and upgrades, noting that many doctors wait years to receive benefits despite approved promotions, while others face “severe bottlenecks” after passing postgraduate exams.

NARD also criticised the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), calling it “a tool of frustration” responsible for salary shortfalls of up to N100,000, and demanded a specialised health-sector payroll platform for accurate payments.

The group condemned the partial reinstatement of dismissed doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, insisting all five must be reinstated unconditionally.

Other grievances include unpaid salary arrears at hospitals in Benue, Owo, and Ile-Ife, denial of specialist allowances, poor implementation of the one-for-one replacement policy, casualisation of doctors, downgraded entry levels, and excessive work hours.

NARD said its ongoing indefinite strike aims to save Nigeria’s healthcare system, not punish citizens.

Hours after NARD declared its indefinite strike, the federal government said it would release the sum of N11.99 billion within 72 hours to offset some of the salary and allowance arrears owed to medical professionals in the country.

However, NARD questioned the figures mentioned.

Salako told reporters on Monday that “President Tinubu has expressly directed that we do everything possible and legitimate to ensure that the resident doctors return to their duty posts as soon as possible.”

While apologising to Nigerians affected by the strike, he assured that the government was engaging with the doctors to resolve their grievances.

He said most of the resident doctors’ demands are already being addressed.

He said a July circular from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had created division among health workers, prompting government intervention.

“We approached the National Salaries and Wages Commission and the Presidential Committee on Salary Increase, and the circular was withdrawn,” he said.

The minister said a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process was initiated in August to harmonise discussions among health unions, including the Nigerian Medical Association, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, and the Joint Health Sector Unions.

He noted that two contentious issues — pay relativity and the appointment of non-doctor consultants — temporarily stalled the talks.

“You cannot talk about parity and relativity at the same time; they are mutually exclusive. We engaged an external negotiator, who has submitted an interim report, and the government is reviewing the recommendations,” he added.

Salako said despite CBA rules discouraging strikes during negotiations, the ministry had continued meeting with NARD and other stakeholders, including finance and labour ministers.

‘All 19 demands must be met’

NARD said its nationwide strike will continue until the federal government meets its 19 demands.

“There are 19 items on the demand list. That’s what the National Executive Council has asked for. All 19 issues must be sorted out,” NARD president, Muhammad Suleiman, told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, the federal government has announced the establishment of a task force in the ministry to conduct unscheduled visits to hospitals to monitor those not participating in the current strike.

“Those who are not on strike should be on the ground doing their work,” Salako said.

Asked if the ‘no work, no pay’ policy would be implemented for the striking doctors, he said: “The ‘no work, no pay’ policy is a federal government directive, not from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. It is up to the government to decide if it will be implemented or not.”