Striking Doctors Reject 25% Salary Increase, N25,000 Allowance, Say Strike Continues

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD has rejected a 25 per cent basic salary increase offered by the government.

The association also rejected the N25,000 peculiar allowance approved for medical and dental doctors in the federal public service.

President Bola Tinubu administration had last Wednesday, approved the rate as peculiar allowance for health workers, few hours after the doctors’ association began its national indefinite strike.

The government conveyed the approval of the allowance to the striking doctors via a letter dated July 26 and signed by the Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta.

The President of NARD, Emeka Orji, in a statement on Saturday, said the National Executive Council (NEC) of the association observed what it called the “paltry 25 per cent” increment in the basic salary of doctors as contained in the circular released by the salaries and wages commission in the wake of the strike.

Mr Orji said the Association’s NEC rejected the increase and called for the fulfillment of the agreement between the doctors and the Nigerian government.

He said the strike would continue indefinitely “until reasonable progress is made by the government” to address the association’s demands as contained in the ultimatum earlier issued to the federal government.

You will recall that the doctors embarked on an indefinite industrial action in the early hours of Wednesday following what they described as the failure of the Nigerian government to meet their demands.

This came after the expiration of a two-week ultimatum earlier issued to the federal government.