The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) is expected to suspend its planned nationwide strike after reaching key agreements with the Federal Government during a high-level meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The meeting, which lasted about three hours on Tuesday evening, was convened by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and focused on resolving lingering disputes over salaries, promotions, allowances, and welfare of resident doctors.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, expressed optimism that most of the association’s concerns had been addressed.
He said concrete timelines had been agreed upon for implementing outstanding financial and welfare commitments, adding that discussions were productive and yielded positive outcomes.
According to him, government representatives committed to resolving issues relating to salary adjustments, promotions, meal allowances at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and other outstanding entitlements within agreed timeframes.
Suleiman also disclosed that the Federal Government had directed that house officers should no longer experience prolonged delays in receiving their salaries.
He revealed that a standing directive had been issued requiring that salaries of house officers be paid before the 10th day of every month.
On the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between NARD and the Federal Government, Suleiman said the Presidency had instructed the Ministries of Labour and Health to fast-track negotiations so that approved provisions could be reflected in the 2027 budget.
The NARD president further raised concerns over the increasing attacks on healthcare workers, revealing that 31 doctors and more than 20 other health personnel had been assaulted within the last 10 months.
He said the Federal Ministry of Health had agreed to strengthen security measures in hospitals and embark on nationwide public awareness campaigns aimed at discouraging violence against health workers.
Suleiman also disclosed that the Chief of Staff had pledged to support legislation that would classify assaults on healthcare workers as a more serious criminal offence, describing the move as a significant step toward protecting medical professionals.
Addressing the issue of unpaid hazard and specialist allowances, he explained that the dispute stemmed from years of underpayment after resident doctors reportedly received only a fraction of their approved entitlements.
While noting that the current administration had corrected part of the payments earlier this year, Suleiman said discussions were ongoing to settle the remaining outstanding arrears. He declined to disclose the exact amount involved but indicated that the financial obligation was lower than initially estimated and considered manageable for the government.
Despite expressing confidence in the outcome of the meeting, Suleiman said he could not unilaterally announce the suspension of the planned strike.
He explained that the decisions reached would first be presented to the association’s National Executive Council (NEC), which would make the final decision on whether to formally call off the industrial action.
He, however, maintained that the intervention of the Chief of Staff had significantly addressed the issues that prompted the strike notice, expressing confidence that the association would reach a favourable resolution.
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the meeting disclosed that NARD leaders had privately assured the Presidency that the planned strike would be suspended following the agreements reached during the discussions.
According to the source, Gbajabiamila urged the doctors’ representatives to conclude the matter during the meeting rather than postpone a decision for further consultations.
NARD had earlier threatened to commence an indefinite nationwide strike on August 10 over unresolved salary arrears, welfare concerns, unpaid allowances, and other longstanding grievances.
The decision followed the association’s National Executive Council meeting in Gombe State, where members reviewed previous agreements with the Federal Government and expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of implementation.
The association, which represents doctors undergoing specialist training in teaching hospitals and other tertiary health institutions across Nigeria, had warned that the industrial action would begin unless its demands were satisfactorily addressed before the deadline.
