By Precious Mark
The Federal Government has reached a breakthrough agreement with the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), averting a nationwide indefinite strike that was scheduled to begin on August 10, 2026.
The resolution followed a three-hour meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday evening, convened by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Federal Government committed to a one-week deadline to resolve outstanding salary adjustments, promotion arrears, and call-duty allowance issues affecting medical workers.
To address chronic payment delays for medical interns, a standing directive was issued mandating that salaries for house officers must be disbursed before the 10th of every month.
Speaking to newsmen after the session, NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Usman Suleiman, highlighted the significance of the directive regarding salary payments for junior doctors.
“We’ve agreed on house officers so that they don’t have to wait for a whole month before they get the previous month’s salaries,” Suleiman said.
“He has given a standing order that before the 10th of every month, salaries of house officers must be paid,” Suleiman explained.
On the broader financial demands, including promotion arrears, the government and union leaders agreed to a strict one-week implementation window.
“Timelines have been agreed on by all agencies,” Suleiman noted. “On salary and promotion arrears, we are talking about a week so that we will get implementation. We’ve agreed on a figure and on numbers,” he added.
The government also committed to addressing a 19-month professional allowance backlog dating back to July 2024, with implementation timelines to be communicated following further computational reviews by the Budget Office of the Federation.
Additionally, the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare were directed to expedite the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process to ensure full budgetary allocation in the upcoming fiscal cycle.
Addressing workplace safety, the Federal Government pledged to bolster security architecture across public health institutions, launch public awareness campaigns to curb violence against medical personnel, and support legislation classifying physical assaults on healthcare workers as aggravated offenses.
Expressing confidence in the outcome of the presidential intervention, the NARD President commended the Chief of Staff for stepping in to resolve the crisis.
“This isn’t the first time the Chief of Staff has intervened,” Suleiman said. “Our matters are solved. Timelines have been agreed, and the person who invited us has never failed resident doctors,” he added.
The NARD leadership will present the resolutions to its National Executive Council (NEC) to formally ratify the agreement and suspend the planned industrial action.