The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced it will release N11.995bn within 72 hours for the payment of outstanding arrears, including accoutrement allowance, to doctors and other health workers across the country. The funds are part of ongoing efforts to resolve welfare concerns raised by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors and other health sector unions.
The announcement was contained in a press statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Saturday and signed by Deputy Director and Head of Information and Public Relations, Alaba Balogun. The ministry stated that the move reaffirms the Federal Government’s commitment to industrial peace and reform in the health sector.
The assurance was reiterated during a high-level meeting led by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, between the ministry’s top management and the leadership of NARD. The meeting followed the association’s recent agitations over welfare and professional concerns affecting resident doctors nationwide.
The assurance comes amid a nationwide strike that began on Saturday, involving approximately 11,000 resident doctors across 91 healthcare facilities in Nigeria. The striking doctors are protesting unpaid arrears, delays in allowances, and other welfare-related issues despite earlier assurances from the government.
President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Muhammad Suleiman, had stated on Monday that the Federal Government owes doctors and other health workers across the country an estimated N38bn in accumulated allowances. The substantial debt has fueled tensions between health workers and the government over compensation matters.
The ministry noted that in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance, it commenced payment of seven months’ arrears of the 25–35 per cent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure to all categories of health workers. The government paid N10bn in August 2025 as part of these arrears.
Following approval by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the arrears to be paid expeditiously, another N21.3bn had been moved to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System account as of Thursday, October 30, and payment has commenced. The Federal Government also released N10.6bn as of September 2025 as full payment for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, paid exclusively to resident doctors nationwide.
To address the strain caused by brain drain and prolonged working hours, the ministry disclosed that the Federal Government had granted special waivers for massive recruitment of healthcare professionals across federal tertiary 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 ministry confirmed that collective bargaining discussions are ongoing with the Nigerian Medical Association, where NARD is an affiliate, the Joint Health Sector Unions, and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives. To facilitate negotiations, the ministry has engaged Professor of Industrial Relations Dafe Otobo as a professional negotiator to conduct constructive engagements between government and union representatives.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare stated that these interventions reflect the Federal Government’s resolve to safeguard the rights and welfare of health workers, ensure industrial harmony, and uphold uninterrupted delivery of quality healthcare services to Nigerians. The ministry emphasised that Nigeria’s health workforce is the bedrock of the country’s healthcare reform under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
