The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has accused the Federal Government of systematically ignoring workers’ rights and using committees as tools to delay meaningful action, insisting that none of their demands have been met despite the claims of the Ministry of Labour.
In a strongly worded statement jointly signed by its President Dr Mohammad Usman Suleiman, its Secretary-General Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim and Publicity and Social Affairs Secretary Dr Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, NARD said it was forced to “set the record straight” after the Ministry issued what the association described as a misleading press release on November 19.
According to the association, the Ministry’s claim that a “high percentage” of the doctors’ demands had been met “is not only inaccurate but also a deliberate attempt to mislead the Nigerian public and undermine the legitimate struggle of our members.”
NARD stated that upon review of government actions at its November 17 extraordinary CNE meeting, it found that “not a single one of our 19 main demands has been fully and verifiably met.”
The association said the government’s alleged progress amounted to “broken promises, uninitiated payments and newly formed committees – a familiar cycle of delays and deceit”.
NARD dismissed the Ministry’s claim that payments for the 25%/35% CONMESS review and equipment allocations for 2024 had “begun”, insisting that its members across the country “have not received these payments”.
He said what the Ministry described amounted to “an anticipation of the action, not the action itself”, and stressed that “an announcement of intent is not a substitute for a credited salary”.
The group added that the Ministry’s admission that it was “working to reconcile” the missed payments showed that the underlying problem remained unresolved.
The association also criticized the Ministry for saying it was “drawing up lists” of arrears and benefits for hospitals such as FTH Lokoja, FMC Owo and UITH. He said the fact that the government was still compiling lists “after years of dialogue confirms our main grievance: a crippling lack of urgency and implementation.”
On the issues of manpower shortage, casualty of doctors and disengagement of doctors at FTH Lokoja, NARD rejected the Ministry’s claim that several committees had been set up to address these issues. “The constitution of a committee is not a resolution; it is often a bureaucratic tool for indefinite postponement,” the statement read.
“Our demand is the immediate reinstatement of our colleagues in Lokoja and the concrete implementation of the one-for-one replacement policy to curb burnout, not another talk.”
NARD also responded to the Minister’s claim that he refused to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, saying the MoU lacked credibility. “We refuse to sign any MoU built on unfulfilled promises and without clear, binding and time-bound deliverables.
An MoU that does not guarantee immediate and verifiable action is not worth the paper it is written on,” the association stated.
The association reaffirmed that the nationwide indefinite strike, which began on November 1, will continue until the government meets its minimum conditions.
These include the immediate reinstatement of the five disconnected doctors at FTH Lokoja with full compensation, the release and payment of all corrected professional allowances and outstanding arrears, the full implementation of the one-for-one replacement policy and specialist allowances, and the urgent resolution of all other outstanding issues.
NARD accused the Ministry of hypocrisy, alleging that it systematically violated agreed deadlines while lecturing unions about compliance with labor laws. “Our patience has been exhausted after years of conciliatory meetings that produced nothing but press releases full of empty victories,” he said. Maintaining openness to dialogue, the association insisted that discussions must now be results-oriented and supported by verifiable actions.
“We call on the government to stop issuing misleading press releases and take the concrete actions necessary to resolve this crisis. The health of our nation is at stake and the responsibility rests solely with the government.”