RESIDENT DOCTORS STRIKE: FG Says ₦90bn Pay Boost, Collective Bargaining Efforts, Responsible For Standoff

"Past negotiations were often fragmented, with different health professional groups engaging government separately, leading to conflicting agreements on pay parity and relativity and triggering repeated industrial actions " Iziaq Salako.

The ongoing standoff with members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), has been attributed to structural and policy issues rather than neglect.

This was the revelation of the Federal Government via a statement from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. 

Making this known via the statement, signed by Alaba Balogun, the Director Information and Public Relations of the Ministry, is the Honourable Minister of State Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako. He highlighted a ₦90 billion annual increase in health workers’ allowances as evidence of its commitment to industrial harmony in the sector.

Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, gave this disclosure today, Tuesday 6 January 2026 during an interview on the AIT Kaakaki programme, where he outlined federal  government's  actions aimed at addressing resident doctors’ demands and preventing recurring strikes in the health sector.

Salako affirmed that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare places high priority on maintaining industrial peace and ensuring uninterrupted healthcare delivery. He noted that while the government would be pleased to significantly raise health workers’ pay, it must balance such demands with obligations to other sectors, including education, security and national infrastructure, within the limits of available revenue.

The Tinubu administration, according to Dr. Salako, demonstrated this commitment in November 2025 by approving an upward review of professional allowances for health workers, adding nearly ₦90 billion to government expenditure annually. The increment covers call duty, shift duty, non-clinical duty and rural posting allowances and was reached through joint negotiations involving all health worker groups.

He explained that past negotiations were often fragmented, with different health professional groups engaging government separately, leading to conflicting agreements on pay parity and relativity and triggering repeated industrial actions. To address this, the Ministry initiated and  adopted a collective bargaining approach, ensuring that doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and other health workers negotiated together.

On NARD’s demands, the Honourable Minister said the association’s requests have reduced from 19 to nine, indicating progress in talks. He further clarified that some outstanding demands are constrained by existing civil service rules and approved schemes of service.

He specifically addressed the demand for specialist allowance for resident doctors, noting that resident doctors are specialists-in-training and that current regulations reserve specialist allowances for consultants. 

The Honourable Minister added that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had advised against extending the allowance to residents, warning it could create similar claims from other health workers undergoing specialist training.

Dr. Salako also dismissed claims of inaction on certification issues, explaining that the National Postgraduate Medical College does not issue certificates after passing Part I examinations, a policy the Ministry cannot override.

Addressing the controversy surrounding five resident doctors disengaged in Lokoja, the Honourable Minister  said their cases arose from civil service disciplinary procedures. He disclosed that a Ministerial review committee has recommended reinstatement for two doctors, reprimand for two others, and a fresh disciplinary hearing for one, in line with extant due process.

While acknowledging public concern over frequent strikes, Dr. Salako noted that industrial actions by doctors are a global phenomenon, citing similar disputes in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe.

He assured Nigerians that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, collaborating with the  Federal Ministry of Labour and other stakeholders, remain committed to dialogue that will stabilise the health sector, ensure industrial harmony and  prevent future disruptions to healthcare services.