Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Respite has come the way of the Nigerian doctors as President Bola Tinubu okayed the release of N11.995 billion for the payment of their owed arrears, including accoutrement allowance.
This was contained in a statement released in Abuja at the weekend by Alaba Balogun, Deputy Director/Head, Information & Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
He said that the President has also directed that the money be processed and released to the doctors within 72 hours for onward disbursement.
His words: “In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare commenced the payment of seven months’ arrears of the 25%/35% upward review of CONMESS and CONHESS to all categories of health workers with N10 billion paid in August 2025.
“Also, following the approval by President Tinubu for the arrears owed to health workers including members of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to be paid expeditiously, as of Thursday 30th October, another sum of N21.3 billion was moved to the IPPIS account and payment has commenced.”
Additionally, Balogun said that the Federal Government had released N10.6 billion as at September 2025 as full payment for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) and paid exclusively to resident doctors nationwide.
Balogun reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to ensuring industrial peace, harmony, and sustained reform in Nigeria’s health sector, emphasising that the welfare, motivation, and stability of the nation’s health workforce remain the foundation upon which all health policies, strategies, and actions are built.
Meanwhile, to address the strain caused by brain drain and prolonged working hours, the Federal Government has granted special waivers to enable the massive recruitment of healthcare professionals across federal tertiary institutions.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare noted that in 2024, over 20,000 health workers, including doctors, nurses, and allied professionals were employed across 58 Federal Health Institutions, under the Renewed Hope Health Agenda’s commitment to strengthening human resources for health.
“The recruitment for 2025 is currently ongoing with over 15,000 health workers already approved to be employed. This recruitment drive is part of a larger strategy to ensure that Nigeria’s health facilities are adequately staffed, safe, and equipped to deliver quality care to citizens,” the Ministry confirmed.
Regarding the ongoing negotiations and industrial dialogue, the Ministry confirmed that collective bargaining discussions are ongoing with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), where NARD is an affiliate, the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
The Ministry further revealed that a Professor of Industrial Relations, Dafe Otobo, has been engaged to facilitate further constructive engagements between government and union leaders with the active involvement of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“The negotiator has since met with all the unions, individually. A joint meeting of the unions with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with the negotiator also took place last week,” the Ministry said.
It reiterated that the interventions reflect the Federal Government’s unalloyed resolve to safeguard the rights and welfare of health workers, ensure industrial harmony, and uphold uninterrupted delivery of quality healthcare services to Nigerians.
“Our health workforce is the bedrock of Nigeria’s healthcare reform. Every policy, investment, and strategy we implement under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) is anchored on their well-being, motivation, and professional fulfilment,” the statement said.