By Joy Odor – Health & Policy Desk
The Federal Government has broken its silence on the escalating standoff with resident doctors, pushing back against claims of neglect and insisting that policy constraints not indifference are at the heart of the dispute shaking Nigeria’s health sector.
Speaking during an interview on AIT’s Kaakaki programme, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, laid out the government’s case: a ₦90 billion annual increase in health workers’ allowances, painstakingly negotiated through collective bargaining, represents one of the Tinubu administration’s most significant investments in industrial peace yet structural rules continue to limit how far concessions can go.
Salako said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare remains acutely aware of public frustration with repeated industrial actions and is working to prevent disruptions to healthcare delivery.
However, he stressed that government decisions must balance competing national priorities, including education, security and infrastructure, within the constraints of available revenue.
“We would gladly do more,” the minister implied, “but government must govern responsibly.”
According to Salako, that responsibility was demonstrated in November 2025 when the administration approved an upward review of professional allowances for health workers, adding nearly ₦90 billion annually to government expenditure.
The increase covers call duty, shift duty, non-clinical duty and rural posting allowances, an adjustment he described as unprecedented in scope.
Crucially, the minister said the breakthrough came from abandoning fragmented negotiations that had long plagued the sector.
In the past, doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and other professionals negotiated separately with government, producing overlapping agreements, disputes over pay relativity and a near-permanent cycle of strikes.
To break that pattern, the ministry adopted a collective bargaining framework, bringing all health worker groups to the table at once.
Salako said this approach has already reduced friction and created a more predictable negotiation process.
Within that framework, talks with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have narrowed considerably.
Salako disclosed that the association’s demands have dropped from 19 to nine, an indication, he said, that dialogue is yielding results.
Still, some demands remain unresolved due to civil service rules and approved schemes of service.
One of the most contentious issues the demand for specialist allowance for resident doctors was addressed head-on.
Salako explained that under existing regulations, specialist allowances are reserved for consultants, as resident doctors are still specialists-in-training.
Extending the allowance, he warned, could trigger similar claims from other health professionals undergoing advanced training.
The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, he added, has advised against such a move, citing the risk of system-wide distortion.
Salako also rejected allegations of government inaction on certification matters, clarifying that the National Postgraduate Medical College does not issue certificates after Part I examinations, a policy that falls outside the ministry’s authority to alter.
On the politically sensitive case of five resident doctors disengaged in Lokoja, the minister revealed that their situation stemmed from civil service disciplinary processes, not union-busting.
A ministerial review committee, he said, has recommended reinstatement for two doctors, reprimand for another two and a fresh disciplinary hearing for one steps he described as consistent with due process.
While acknowledging that repeated strikes strain public trust, Salako noted that industrial disputes among doctors are not unique to Nigeria, pointing to similar tensions in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe.
The minister concluded with a note of cautious reassurance: the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, working alongside the Ministry of Labour and other stakeholders, remains committed to dialogue aimed at stabilising the sector, restoring industrial harmony and preventing future shutdowns of healthcare services.
For now, the government’s position is clear significant money has been put on the table, but the path to lasting peace lies as much in reforming structures as in raising pay.
