Nigeria’s leader, President Bola Tinubu, has told health officials to sort out the ongoing walkout by resident doctors right away and get them back to work. The doctors, grouped under the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, began a full stoppage on Saturday, halting services at 91 public hospitals across the country.
The health minister’s deputy, Dr Iziaq Salako, shared the order at a news talk in Abuja on Monday. He said sorry to the public for the hassle, especially those unable to get care over the past two days. Salako promised that the government would use every fair step to fix things fast.
Talks between bosses and the doctors have covered 19 complaints, like long shifts, staff shortages, unpaid wages, and rundown clinics. These chats are part of a group deal on pay and work rules, with 12 meetings since August. But two big rows popped up: one over equal pay versus rank-based scales, and another about naming non-doctors as top experts back in 2020. The deal paused briefly to sort these out with help from an outside expert in worker talks.
A note from the pay board in July had split health staff, with some against it and others for. Officials pulled it back after chats with top pay groups. Other ministers for money, work rules, and budget have joined meetings with the doctors last week, tackling most of the 19 points.
The government has green-lit big hires: over 14,000 health staff in 2024, mostly front-line workers like 900 top doctors and 3,000 residents at 64 main hospitals. This year, another 23,000 spots are open at 78 sites, with 2,600 for residents. Tinubu also okayed raising the quit age for clinic staff to 65, with final checks underway.
Cash help includes 21 billion naira for back pay, with six in ten doctors already alerted; the rest will follow soon. Another 12 billion is in the works, plus 10 billion each for all health workers in August and extra for residents from a training fund.
Salako noted that health teams need to stick together—one group’s fix affects all. The bosses aim for lasting fixes, not quick patches, and urged checks on better clinic setups since mid-2023. They say no strikes should happen during deal talks, but they’re pushing ahead to wrap it up.
