The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has rejected the Federal Government’s announcement that it will release N11.9 billion within 72 hours to settle outstanding arrears and allowances owed to health workers across the country.
NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, said on Sunday that the government’s figures were misleading, explaining that only about N500 million from the said amount would actually go to resident doctors.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had earlier stated that the N11.9 billion fund would cover arrears such as accoutrement allowance and other payments aimed at resolving the ongoing strike by doctors in 91 federal and state hospitals. The ministry said the move was part of efforts to restore calm and improve the welfare of health professionals.
However, Suleiman clarified that the government’s breakdown was inaccurate. According to him, the total fund discussed during meetings with the government was about N6 billion, not N11.9 billion as claimed. He explained that N2.9 billion was meant for accoutrement allowance for all doctors, N2.4 billion for consultants’ non-clinical duty allowance, and N400 million for other health workers as part of COVID-19 arrears.
He further explained that only a fraction of this amount—roughly N500 million—would reach resident doctors, who make up about 60 percent of all doctors nationwide. Suleiman maintained that the arrears in question had been pending for more than two years and were not exclusive to doctors, as they also cover other categories of health workers, including administrative staff.
He accused the ministry of presenting misleading figures to create the impression that the government had addressed all of NARD’s concerns. Suleiman also expressed frustration over the dismissal of five doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, describing the ministry’s handling of the matter as unfair. He said the dismissed doctors were union leaders who were removed for their involvement in union activities, adding that the association only sought their reinstatement, not legal action.
The NARD president also questioned the ministry’s claims that 20,000 health workers were recruited last year and another 15,000 this year, demanding proof of how many were doctors and where they were currently posted.
He stressed that NARD’s grievances were not limited to unpaid allowances but included 19 outstanding demands, many of which were administrative and could be resolved quickly if the ministry acted in good faith.
Suleiman praised the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, for his prompt intervention in addressing financial issues raised by the doctors. However, he accused the Ministry of Health of lacking seriousness and commitment to resolving the crisis.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene directly and urge the Ministry of Health to engage sincerely with the association to end the strike and restore normalcy in the nation’s health sector.