ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has agreed to suspend a nationwide strike planned for August 10, following a meeting with government officials at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.
Okay News reports that the association’s president, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, announced the resolution after a three-hour session with Nigeria’s Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. Suleiman stated that both parties agreed to specific timelines for resolving outstanding salary, promotion, and allowance disputes. “Today, I can tell you, our matters are solved,” Suleiman said.
The meeting included Nigeria’s Ministers of Labour, Health, and Finance, alongside the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation and the Accountant-General of the Federation. The government issued a standing directive ensuring that junior doctors in their mandatory one-year internship will receive their monthly salaries before the 10th of every month. “We also talked about house officers, so that they don’t have to wait a whole month before they get the previous month’s salaries,” Suleiman said.
Delegates addressed violence against medical personnel, noting that 31 doctors and more than 20 other health workers were assaulted in the past 10 months. The Ministry of Health will issue directives to hospitals to increase security, while the Chief of Staff will push for the National Assembly to pass legislation making the assault of health workers an aggravated offence. “The Chief of Staff has taken it upon himself to introduce legislation so that the National Assembly can come in with something that will make assaulting health workers an aggravated offence,” Suleiman said.
The dispute over unpaid hazard and specialist allowance arrears originated seven years ago when the government began paying resident doctors 40 per cent of their accrued allowances. The administration of President Bola Tinubu corrected the shortfall in February 2026, but a 19-month payment gap dating back to July 2024 remained outstanding. The Budget Office is scheduled to provide a firm payment timeline for the remaining balance.The association had previously threatened to begin an indefinite industrial action at 8:00 a.m. WAT on August 10 if their demands were not addressed. Suleiman noted that while the core issues are resolved, the leadership will report to the association’s National Executive Council before making a final official declaration. “I have National Executive Council members. I will have a conversation. I have to report all of this back. We sit down. We take a decision,” Suleiman said.
