FG moves to end doctors’ strike with N11.9bn arrears payment, mass recruitment drive

In a swift response to the indefinite strike launched by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the Federal Government has announced plans to release ₦11.9 billion within 72 hours to settle part of the salary and allowance arrears owed to medical professionals.

The announcement, confirmed by Alaba Balogun, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for expedited payment to health workers across the country.

Breakdown of Payments and Ongoing Disbursements

• In August 2025, ₦10 billion was released to begin payment of seven months’ arrears from the 25–35% salary review for health workers.
• As of October 30, ₦21.3 billion was transferred to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) account, with disbursement underway.
• An additional ₦11.995 billion is being processed for release within 72 hours to cover other arrears, including accoutrement allowances.
• In September 2025, ₦10.6 billion was paid out as the full allocation for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), benefiting resident doctors nationwide.

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Addressing Brain Drain and Staffing Shortages To combat the growing challenge of brain drain and excessive workloads, the Federal Government has granted special waivers for the mass recruitment of healthcare professionals. Over 20,000 health workers have already been employed across 58 federal institutions, with approval secured for an additional 15,000 hires in 2025.

Balogun emphasized that this recruitment initiative is part of a broader strategy to ensure Nigeria’s health facilities are adequately staffed and equipped to provide quality care.

Negotiations and Collective Bargaining Efforts The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, has intensified collective bargaining efforts with key health unions, including NARD, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Joint Health Sector Unions, and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives.

To facilitate constructive dialogue, the government has engaged Professor Dafe Otobo, a seasoned industrial relations expert, to mediate discussions. A joint meeting involving all stakeholders was held on October 24, 2025, aimed at resolving longstanding issues such as:

• Specialist and other allowances
• Salary relativity
• Appointment of consultant cadres
• General welfare concerns

The Ministry of Labour and Productivity has expressed its commitment to concluding the negotiation process once consensus is reached.

As the government accelerates efforts to meet the demands of health workers, stakeholders remain hopeful that the ongoing strike will be resolved promptly, restoring normalcy to Nigeria’s healthcare system.

FG moves to end doctors’ strike with N11.9bn arrears payment, mass recruitment drive

NAFDAC alleges assassination plot in Lagos market attack, vows crackdown on counterfeit trade

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has described Thursday’s violent assault on its enforcement team at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex as a coordinated assassination attempt targeting senior officials during a raid on counterfeit and substandard products.

The operation, led by Dr. Martins Iluyomade, Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs, was based on credible intelligence regarding the sale and distribution of fake and unwholesome goods at the market.

What began as a routine enforcement exercise escalated into a violent ambush when armed hoodlums stormed the scene, demanding to identify the Task Force chairman. The attackers vandalized approximately ten operational vehicles belonging to NAFDAC and supporting security agencies, with damages estimated at over ₦25 million.

“This was a premeditated attack,” Iluyomade stated during a press briefing in Lagos. “The market’s Chief Security Officer, who was accompanying us, issued a directive on their internal platform instructing cluster leaders to act. That was the signal for the lockdown and assault.”

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Prior to the attack, NAFDAC officials had confiscated several cartons of fake, banned, and unwholesome products. As tensions escalated, the gates were locked and stones were hurled at the enforcement team, forcing them to escape through three barricaded exits under siege.

“If not for the professionalism and calmness of the police and military personnel with us, there would have been casualties,” Iluyomade said.

NAFDAC condemned the violence and pledged to bring all perpetrators to justice. The agency recalled a similar incident in 2022, where an officer narrowly escaped death during an enforcement operation at the same market.

“No individual or group is above the law,” Iluyomade declared.

Describing the assault as an attack on national health security, NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye commended the Nigeria Police and military for ensuring the safety of agency personnel. She reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting public health and vowed that the agency would not be intimidated.

“NAFDAC remains fully alive to its responsibility of safeguarding the health of Nigerians. This incident will only strengthen our resolve to do more,” Adeyeye said.

To stem the influx of counterfeit products, Adeyeye revealed that NAFDAC has intensified surveillance at Nigeria’s ports and airports. The agency recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Customs Service to enhance joint monitoring at points of entry.

“We are stepping up monitoring this season. With Customs, we have intercepted and are destroying over 80 containers of fake and substandard goods,” she disclosed, noting that some importers disguise pharmaceuticals as spare parts to evade detection.

While acknowledging that corruption at entry points remains a challenge, Adeyeye emphasized NAFDAC’s determination to dismantle the criminal networks behind fake drug importation.

NAFDAC alleges assassination plot in Lagos market attack, vows crackdown on counterfeit trade

Unmet demands: Resident doctors begin indefinite nationwide strike

Medical services across Nigeria have been thrown into disarray following the commencement of an indefinite strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which began on Saturday, November 1, 2025.

Confirming the industrial action in a statement, NARD President Dr. Mohammad Suleiman said the strike was necessitated by the Federal Government’s failure to implement previously agreed terms, despite multiple meetings, warnings, and appeals.

“We embark on this total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike not out of desire but out of necessity,” Suleiman stated. “Our decision follows the Federal Government’s continued neglect of our legitimate demands and the worsening state of Nigeria’s health system.”

He explained that the association had exhausted all peaceful avenues and emphasized that the doctors’ demands were not self-serving but aimed at rescuing Nigeria’s deteriorating healthcare infrastructure.

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“Our demands are not selfish nor politically motivated. They are centred on ensuring that doctors can provide safe, effective, and compassionate care in an environment that safeguards their physical and mental well-being,” he said.

Among the key issues raised by NARD are unpaid salary arrears, inadequate staffing, poor working conditions, excessive workloads, and a lack of essential medical infrastructure—all of which have severely hampered healthcare delivery nationwide.

Suleiman also warned that the ongoing exodus of medical professionals to foreign countries would continue unless urgent reforms were implemented.

“A nation’s health system is only as strong as the doctors who sustain it. If those doctors are broken, demotivated, or forced to seek survival elsewhere, the patients suffer most,” he said.

Calling for public support, Suleiman urged Nigerians—including civil society groups, labour unions, and traditional and religious leaders—to stand in solidarity with the doctors.

“This is not a fight against the government but a struggle for a functional and humane healthcare system. We appeal to Nigerians to stand with us so hospitals can reopen and patients can once again access the care they deserve,” he added.

The strike follows the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government, which NARD says lapsed without any meaningful progress. Hospitals across the country are expected to experience significant service disruptions as the strike takes hold.

Unmet demands: Resident doctors begin indefinite nationwide strike