FG blames resident doctors’ dispute on policy constraints, cites ₦90bn allowance increase

By Kunle Sanni –

The federal government has attributed its ongoing standoff with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to structural and policy constraints rather than neglect, saying it has demonstrated commitment to health workers’ welfare through a ₦90 billion annual increase in allowances.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, stated this on Tuesday during an interview on AIT’s Kaakaki programme, where he outlined government efforts to address the demands of resident doctors and curb recurrent strikes in the health sector.

Salako explained that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare prioritises industrial harmony and uninterrupted healthcare delivery but must balance salary demands with competing national obligations in education, security and infrastructure within available revenue.

He disclosed that the Tinubu administration approved an upward review of professional allowances for health workers in November 2025, a decision that added nearly ₦90 billion to annual government spending.

According to him, the adjustment covered call duty, shift duty, non-clinical duty and rural posting allowances, and was reached through joint negotiations involving all health professional groups.

The minister explained that previous negotiations were often conducted separately with different professional associations, leading to conflicting agreements on pay parity and repeated industrial actions.

He said the ministry has now adopted a collective bargaining framework that brings doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and other health workers to the table at the same time.

On the current talks with NARD, Salako said the association’s demands had reduced from 19 to nine, indicating progress.

He added that some of the outstanding issues are limited by civil service rules and approved schemes of service.