The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has scheduled an Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting to review its 30-day ultimatum to the Federal Government.
According to a notice obtained by Punch on Tuesday, the virtual meeting will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
The notice signed by NARD Secretary-General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim, was addressed to the National Officers’ Committee, Caucus Leaders, Centre Presidents and General Secretaries.
It partly read, “I am writing to inform you that an Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, 25th October 2025. Your presence and participation are crucial in addressing the matter at hand.”
The outcome of the meeting is expected to determine whether the union will escalate its industrial action.
On September 26, NARD gave the Federal Government a 30-day deadline to resolve a series of outstanding welfare and policy issues affecting resident doctors and medical officers nationwide.
The doctors cited unregulated work hours, spanning several consecutive days, which they described as “unsustainable” and dangerous to both their health and patient safety.
They also condemned the non-payment of the 25% and 35% CONMESS arrears, which should have been cleared by August 2025, alongside other unpaid salary arrears.
The association faulted what it called the “unjust dismissal” of five resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja. It said the move was particularly insensitive, coming at a time of widespread burnout and rising brain drain.
Other complaints include unpaid promotion arrears, non-payment of the 2024 accoutrement allowance, and bureaucratic delays in upgrading doctors after postgraduate examinations, delays that have left many without new salaries or arrears.
NARD further lamented the exclusion of resident doctors from the specialist allowance, despite their role in providing advanced clinical care.
Similarly, the union condemned the exclusion of medical and dental house officers from the civil service scheme, which it said denied them pay slips, recognition and timely salaries.
It also protested the downgrading of newly employed doctors from CONMESS 3 Step 3 to CONMESS 2 Step 2—an error that had previously been corrected but has resurfaced in some hospitals.
Lingering Salary And Pension Issues
The doctors highlighted persistent salary shortfalls spanning over seven years due to the non-release of corrected professional allowances, as well as the continued casualisation of medical staff, leaving some without job security for up to a decade.
They decried the failure to implement special pension benefits agreed with the Nigerian Medical Association in July 2025.
NARD linked the escalating brain drain in the health sector to poor working conditions and inadequate pay.
The group noted that many hospitals suffer from obsolete equipment and decaying infrastructure, which undermine patient care and residency training.
The communiqué also criticised the creation of consultant cadres for non-medical doctors, warning that such a move was detrimental to patient safety and professional standards.
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