The Federal Government on Saturday announced plans to release ₦11.995 billion within 72 hours to settle outstanding arrears, including allowances, owed to doctors and other health workers across the country.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Abuja and signed by the Deputy Director and Head of Information and Public Relations, Alaba Balogun.
According to the ministry, the move is part of ongoing efforts to address welfare concerns raised by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and other health sector unions, while reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to industrial harmony and health sector reform.
The statement noted that the assurance was given during a high-level meeting chaired by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, with top ministry officials and NARD leadership, following renewed agitations by doctors over unpaid allowances and welfare issues.
The development comes amid a nationwide strike by about 11,000 resident doctors across 91 healthcare facilities, which began Saturday. The striking doctors are protesting unpaid arrears, delayed allowances, and unresolved welfare concerns, despite previous assurances from the government.
NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, had earlier disclosed that the government owes doctors and other health workers an estimated ₦38 billion in accumulated allowances.
Providing updates on the government’s interventions, the ministry stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved the expeditious payment of all outstanding arrears to health workers. It said ₦10 billion had already been paid in August 2025 as part of the seven months’ arrears for the 25–35 per cent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
“As of Thursday, October 30, another sum of ₦21.3 billion has been moved to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) account, and payment has commenced,” the statement said.
“In addition, ₦11.995 billion is being processed for release within 72 hours to pay other arrears, including accoutrement allowance. All these payments are being enjoyed by members of NARD in accordance with the salary structure in the health sector. Additionally, ₦10.6 billion has been released as full payment for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund.”
The ministry also highlighted government efforts to address staff shortages caused by brain drain and long working hours, revealing that special waivers had been granted for mass recruitment across federal tertiary health institutions.
“Over 20,000 health workers, including doctors, nurses, and allied professionals, were recruited across 58 federal health institutions in 2024, while recruitment for 2025 is ongoing, with 15,000 health workers already approved for employment,” the statement added.
To resolve outstanding industrial issues, the government said it has engaged a professional negotiator, Professor Dafe Otobo, to mediate ongoing collective bargaining discussions between the ministry, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), NARD, and other unions, with the support of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The ministry further clarified developments regarding the dismissal of five doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, saying three who were not tried by a properly constituted disciplinary committee have been offered reabsorption, while the cases of the remaining two are under review by Professor Otobo.
On the contentious issue of certificate categorisation, the ministry explained that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria merely reclassified certificates issued by the West African Postgraduate Medical College from Category B to C, describing it as a routine regulatory adjustment under review.
It also attributed payment delays and promotion backlogs to administrative bottlenecks within the IPPIS system but assured that engagements were ongoing with relevant agencies to fast-track resolutions.
A joint committee, the statement added, has been constituted to address pension-related matters in collaboration with the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and other stakeholders.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare reiterates that these interventions reflect the Federal Government’s unalloyed resolve to safeguard the rights and welfare of health workers, ensure industrial harmony, and uphold uninterrupted delivery of quality healthcare services to Nigerians,” the statement concluded.
