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Resident doctors issue fresh notice to FG to begin nationwide indefinite strike
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The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued another nationwide strike notice, warning that its members will embark on an indefinite strike from 8:00 a.m. on August 10 if the Federal Government fails to address longstanding demands relating to unpaid arrears, welfare and poor working conditions.
The resolution was reached at the end of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Gombe from July 26 to 31, where delegates reviewed the implementation of previous agreements with the Federal Government and assessed challenges confronting the country’s health sector.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, NARD President, Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman, said the council was dissatisfied with what it described as the slow implementation of agreements reached with the government despite repeated engagements over the past several months.
He said the association had extended its strike ultimatum four times in the hope that the outstanding issues would be resolved, but regretted that many of the commitments remained unfulfilled.
Among its key demands, NARD called for the immediate payment of outstanding 25–35 per cent CONMESS salary review arrears, the 19-month professional allowance arrears, promotion arrears and salary arrears owed to doctors in several federal health institutions.
The affected institutions, according to the association, include the University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Okuki; Federal Medical Centre, Owo; Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife; University of Uyo Teaching Hospital; Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri; Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki; Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi; and other federal hospitals.
The association also condemned the growing cases of assault, harassment, intimidation and attacks on doctors and other healthcare workers while on duty, describing the trend as a serious threat to Nigeria’s already overstretched health system.
It urged the Federal Government to establish a National Healthcare Workers Assault Prevention and Response Protocol and called on the National Assembly to enact legislation criminalising attacks on healthcare personnel.
While commending the Federal Government for releasing the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund, NARD demanded the immediate payment of eligible resident doctors who were omitted from the initial disbursement.
The council also expressed concern over the worsening welfare of house officers, citing prolonged salary delays, unpaid arrears and persistent bottlenecks in internship placement and onboarding, which it said force many newly employed doctors to work for weeks or months before receiving their first salaries.
NARD further demanded the speedy conclusion and implementation of the Medical and Health Workers Collective Bargaining Agreement, the implementation of recommendations aimed at addressing excessive workload and manpower shortages, and urgent intervention by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in the industrial dispute at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
The association also urged the Federal Government and state governments to increase investment in healthcare through improved funding, rehabilitation of health facilities, provision of modern medical equipment, uninterrupted electricity supply, recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, and accelerated implementation of universal health coverage.
It also appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration, the Kaduna State Government and the management of affected federal tertiary hospitals to resolve outstanding salary, welfare and training issues involving resident doctors.
NARD warned that unless its demands are substantially addressed before August 10, resident doctors across the country would commence a total and indefinite strike.
The association linked many of the unresolved welfare issues to the growing exodus of Nigerian doctors, noting that more than 16,000 medical doctors have left the country in the last three to four years in search of better remuneration and working conditions abroad.
It warned that the number of doctors leaving the country now far exceeds the number graduating annually from medical schools, a trend it said poses a grave threat to healthcare delivery if urgent steps are not taken to reverse it.
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2027: Wike rallies support for Tinubu In Akpor kingdom, Insists He’II resign as Minister should president lose FCT, Rivers(Photos)
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Friday declared that his political alignment with President Bola Tinubu remains unshakable, rallying the political structure of Rivers State to consolidate support for the President.
”My interest in Rivers State is for God to use me as a vessel to help our people. I am back here not for what I will get, but for what I will be to raise my people”, Wike declared during a strategic consultative meeting with stakeholders of the Akpor Kingdom in Obio-Akpor Local Government, Rivers State, Wike emphasized that politics is driven by the collective interest of the people rather than perpetual animosity.
He also reiterated his decision to resign his position as Minister should President Tinubu lose in Rivers State and the FCT.
The former governor of Rivers State maintained that expanding the political base is essential for delivering democratic dividends.
He said; “there is no permanent enemy in politics what we have is permanent collective interest.
“It is all about the interest of our people. The more you are in number, the happier you become. Leadership is like a waste dustbin. If you cannot absorb things, both the good and the bad, then you cannot be a true leader.”
Reflecting on the political trajectory that led to his appointment as FCT Minister, Wike noted that working with President Tinubu was an extraordinary milestone that defied political convention.
He stressed that his return to grassroots mobilization in Rivers State is aimed at leveraging his position as a vessel to uplift the state and its people.
”You know how difficult, you know how impossible it looked, but he made it possible for us to produce the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory,” Wike told the gathering.
He charged political actors in the state not to be distracted by social media criticism regarding his open-door policy toward former detractors, asserting that true political strength lies in numerical superiority.
In a fiery charge to local leaders, Wike demanded an all-inclusive campaign structure spanning every stratum of society in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
He called on traditional rulers, clergy, and community leaders to unite behind a single political direction.
”Obio-Akpor as a whole, whether you are a politician, whether you are a traditional ruler, whether you are a pastor, or whether you are a native doctor, I need everybody now,” he declared.
Wike said further; “Because all of them will vote. For the purpose of voting and elections, we must bring everyone together. ”
Drawing from his political history as the first elected chairman in the history of Obio-Akpor Local Government to win a second term following its creation in 1989, Wike reminded incumbent council leaders that performance and human connection remain the ultimate yardsticks for re-election.
He stated; “I was not elected two times because I was just Chairman.
“I was elected because people felt the impact of governance and because I related with the people. Anywhere, whether for burial or thanksgiving, I was always identifying with them”.
Outlining the electoral roadmap, the FCT Minister highlighted Wards 15, 16, and 17 in Obio-Akpor Local Government as strategic strongholds capable of deciding electoral outcomes across the local council.
”We have over 200 units across three very important wards Ward 15, Ward 16, and Ward 17. These three wards can defeat ten wards in Obio-Akpor. They are three wards with a difference, and you must utilize them to make that difference,” he instructed.
Wike directed local leaders to immediately deploy unit coordinators and door-to-door canvassers across all polling units, urging them to mobilize their immediate families, in-laws, and neighbors to ensure a decisive victory.
Reiterating his loyalty to his constituency, Wike affirmed that he would remain the state’s “Chief Critic” and guide to ensure elected council officers stay accountable to the electorate.
Wike was accompanied by the Rivers State APC governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda and other political leaders.
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Echoes of Wike ‘na our own ‘ song takes over at ongoing Akpor town hall meeting in Obio/Akpor LGA today (Video)
Echoes of Wike ‘na our own ‘song rent the air at ongoing Akpor town hall meeting at Obio/Akpor LGA in Rivers State today.
Watch clip below:
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Watch moment, traditional rulers present kola to FCT minister Wike at ongoing town hall meeting in Akpor kingdom, Obio/Akpor LGA
A video clip showing traditional rulers presenting kola to FCT minister Nyesom Wike at Akpor in Obio/Akpor LGA in Rivers State has emerged.
Watch:
2027: Wike rallies support for Tinubu In Akpor kingdom, Insists He’II resign as Minister should president lose FCT, Rivers(Photos)
Echoes of Wike ‘na our own ‘ song takes over at ongoing Akpor town hall meeting in Obio/Akpor LGA today (Video)
Watch moment, traditional rulers present kola to FCT minister Wike at ongoing town hall meeting in Akpor kingdom, Obio/Akpor LGA
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