Resident doctors in Nigeria’s North-Central zone on Friday, in Abuja, demanded the immediate reinstatement of their colleagues dismissed from the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Lokoja, Kogi State, over alleged unauthorised protest and union activities. The doctors warned that failure by the Federal Government to act would trigger a nationwide strike from Monday, January 12, a move they said could severely disrupt health services across the country.
Speaking at a briefing, the North-Central Caucus Leader of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Dr. Fanen Dogoh, said the affected doctors were unfairly sacked despite the recommendations of several committees set up to review the matter. According to him, all the committees reportedly advised that the doctors be reinstated, but the government had yet to implement those recommendations, even after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
Dr. Dogoh described the continued dismissal of their colleagues as unjust and unacceptable, noting that the doctors were accused of participating in an unauthorised protest and engaging in union activities—allegations he said did not warrant dismissal.
He added that beyond the immediate demand for reinstatement, the caucus was also concerned about other unresolved welfare issues affecting resident doctors across federal hospitals. He said many doctors were still owed allowances and salary arrears.
Citing specific examples, Dr. Dogoh said resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Benue State, were reportedly owed 18 months of arrears and other allowances, a situation he said was similar for their counterparts in Ilorin, Kwara State.
He warned that failure to reinstate the dismissed doctors and address the broader welfare concerns could lead to a nationwide shutdown of resident doctors’ services. According to him, the association would commence a strike on Monday, January 12, if the government failed to honour the MoU reached with NARD.
“The government must look into these issues and resolve them. These are some of the fundamental reasons why we are planning a strike,” Dr. Dogoh said.
“Another critical issue is payment at the entry point of doctors. The government must also respect the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which has remained stalled and requires urgent resumption,” he added.
Dr. Dogoh further said some outstanding allowances and arrears were not captured in the 2026 budget, which he described as a clear sign of neglect. He warned that continued inaction could result in Nigeria losing a significant number of its medical workforce.
Also speaking, the Vice-President II of NARD, Dr. Kwarshak Kelvin, urged the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the matter of the dismissed doctors. He said he was unsure whether accurate information on doctors’ welfare and the reinstatement issue was reaching President Bola Tinubu and appealed to him to take decisive action.
Dr. Kelvin also called on the Minister of Health and Social Welfare to forward promotion arrears for doctors in federal hospitals to the appropriate authorities for payment or inclusion in the budget. “The Minister of Health was expected to transmit promotion letters to the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance for payment or inclusion in the budget. Unfortunately, that has not been done,” he said.
He added that although discussions were ongoing, persistent delays had stalled the process. Dr. Kelvin also raised concerns about the professional allowance table released in November 2025, which took effect from June 2024.
“The implementation was supposed to begin in January 2026. That means we are already looking at about 18 months of arrears,” he said.
“However, the government has not written to the Budget Office for this to be captured in the 2026 budget, nor has implementation commenced. This effectively means the process has been halted,” he added.
