Resident Doctors Convene Emergency Meeting to Review Expiring Ultimatum to Federal Government

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced an Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting to assess the 30-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government over unresolved welfare and policy demands.

According to a notice obtained on Tuesday, the virtual meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, 2025, and will be attended by National Officers, Caucus Leaders, Centre Presidents, and General Secretaries.

Signed by NARD’s Secretary-General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim, the notice emphasized the importance of full participation, stating, “Your presence and contribution are crucial in addressing the matter at hand.”

The outcome of the meeting is expected to determine whether the association will proceed with another round of industrial action should the government fail to meet its demands.

NARD had on September 26, 2025, issued a 30-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address multiple grievances, including poor working conditions, unpaid allowances, and policy lapses affecting its members nationwide.

The doctors lamented excessive and unregulated work hours, non-payment of the outstanding 25% and 35% upward review arrears of CONMESS (expected by August 2025), and the dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.

Other complaints include the non-payment of promotion arrears, failure to pay the 2024 accoutrement allowance, and bureaucratic delays in upgrading resident doctors’ ranks after successful postgraduate examinations — all of which have led to salary arrears.

The association also decried its exclusion from the specialist allowance, the omission of house officers from the civil service scheme, and the downgrading of new resident doctors’ salary grades, resulting in shortages and inconsistencies across federal hospitals.

NARD further criticized the slow progress in the collective bargaining agreement with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the government, noting that the CONMESS salary structure has remained unchanged for over 16 years despite growing disparities with CONHESS allowances.

The communiqué also highlighted persistent salary shortfalls, the continued casualisation of medical workers, and the downgrading of certificates from the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

The association condemned the failure of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to issue certificates to qualified members and the government’s inaction on the one-for-one replacement policy, which has worsened burnout in hospitals.

NARD blamed the worsening brain drain on poor working conditions, inadequate pay, and dilapidated hospital infrastructure, warning that these factors threaten both healthcare delivery and residency training in the country.

It also faulted the creation of consultant cadres for non-medical doctors and the non-implementation of special pension benefits agreed upon in a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the NMA on July 26, 2025.