Ultimatum: Resident Doctors To Decide Next Move Saturday As Talks With FG Progress

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has revealed progress in negotiations with the federal government over outstanding welfare and remuneration issues, with its National Executive Council (NEC) scheduled to meet on Saturday to determine its next line of action.

NARD president, Dr. Ogar Emmanuel Idoko, disclosed this while speaking on the outcome of engagements with government officials.

He told LEADERSHIP that the NEC meeting, initially expected to hold earlier, was shifted to Saturday to comply with the association’s constitutional requirement of giving members three days’ notice.

Idoko said the NEC would review the outcome of the negotiations and decide on the next steps following the 14-day ultimatum issued to the federal government.

LEADERSHIP reports that NARD, at its 46th Annual General Meeting in Calabar, Cross River State, gave the government 14 days from October 1 to address its outstanding demands or risk further industrial action.

The demands include payment of outstanding 25 and 35 per cent remuneration reviews, promotion allowance arrears, review of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), adjustment of allowances and the review of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) governing doctors’ salaries and allowances.

The doctors said they were owed more than 75 months in promotion allowance arrears, although an agreement had been reached with the government to pay 19 months.

However, despite subsequent meetings in December, June and August, the process remained unresolved.

Although the government announced payments running into billions of naira in 2025 towards CONMESS/CONHESS arrears and the MRTF, NARD maintains that some entitlements remain unpaid or have not been fully implemented.