President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure that members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) resume work immediately, following their total and indefinite strike declared on Saturday.

The directive was disclosed by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, during a press briefing on Monday in Abuja. Salako expressed the government’s regrets and apologies to Nigerians, particularly those who were unable to access healthcare over the past 48 hours due to the strike.

“Mr President has expressly directed that we do everything possible and legitimate to ensure that the resident doctors are brought back to their duty posts as soon as possible,” Salako said.

Background of the Dispute

Dr. Salako explained that the strike stemmed from 19 separate demands presented by NARD, which the ministry has been addressing. The dispute began after a circular issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in July 2025, which caused disagreements among health sector workers. The ministry requested a review, as the circular did not accommodate all health professionals’ interests, leading to its withdrawal.

A Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process was initiated in August to unify discussions among all health sector unions, including NARD, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU). Twelve meetings were held, but two contentious issues caused a temporary halt in the CBA:

1. Disagreement over relativity versus parity in remuneration.
2. Appointment of non-doctor health workers as consultants in 2020, which upset resident doctors.

An external consultant specializing in industrial relations was engaged to help resolve these matters, and interim reports have been submitted, with discussions ongoing.

Government Actions and Commitments

Despite the ongoing CBA, Dr. Salako noted that the government had met with NARD multiple times, along with the Ministers of Finance and Labour, to address the doctors’ concerns. Significant progress has reportedly been made on most of the 19-point demands.

In response to complaints about unregulated work hours and manpower shortages, the government has approved large-scale recruitment:

• 2024: 14,444 health workers recruited across 64 federal tertiary health institutions, including 3,064 resident doctors.
• 2025 (so far): 23,059 health workers being recruited across 78 federal tertiary health institutions, including 2,629 resident doctors.

Other measures include:

• Increasing retirement age for clinical health workers to 65 years (policy under finalization).
• Payment of arrears and allowances: N21.3 billion released, with at least 60% of NARD members already paid; an additional N11.995 billion processed. Previous payments of N10 billion were made to all health workers and another N10 billion exclusively to resident doctors via the Medical Residency Training Fund.

Dr. Salako urged journalists to visit hospitals nationwide to verify ongoing improvements in health infrastructure since May 2023, stressing that President Tinubu is committed to sustainable solutions and teamwork in the health sector.

“The health sector is teamwork. No professional can work independently of others. What happens to cadre A affects cadre B. We cannot treat their issues independently of one another,” he said.

The government’s position signals a push to end the strike while ensuring that agreed-upon solutions are comprehensive and sustainable.