The Federal Government has explained its position on the demands of resident doctors amid concerns over the adoption of militant tactics, insisting that disputes in the health sector are better resolved through dialogue and consensus rather than pressure from strikes.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziag Adekunle Salako, stated this while speaking on Sunrise Daily, where he outlined the government’s approach to industrial relations in the health sector.
“For years, governments reached agreements on the eve of strikes just to bring people back to work. Those agreements were not enduring. Six months later, you are back at the negotiation table again,” Salako said.
He explained that the health sector operates as a team and warned that agreements reached with one professional group without considering others often lead to fresh agitation.
“When you reach an agreement with doctors alone, without considering nurses and other health workers, what you get is instability. Whatever you do to one cadre affects the rest of the system,” he said.
The minister said this thinking guided the government’s decision last year to withdraw an earlier circular on professional allowance increases after threats of industrial action and to reopen negotiations involving all stakeholders.
“We brought everybody to the table, and by the time the revised circular was issued in November, it was acceptable to all. That is the kind of process we want to sustain,” he added.
Salako acknowledged that while major professional bodies such as the Nigerian Medical Association had embraced dialogue, some groups still preferred militancy, an approach he said had repeatedly failed to deliver lasting solutions.
“That militant approach has been tried over and over again in the past, and it has not worked. Government will not be stampeded into agreements it cannot sustain,” he said.
Responding to claims by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) that several of its demands remained unresolved, the minister said progress had been made since talks began.
“They went on strike with 19 demands. Today, they are talking about nine. Even those nine have been addressed and explained to them,” Salako said.
He also dismissed suggestions that the increase in professional allowances was excluded from the 2026 budget.
“I spoke with the Director of Budget, who assured me that the provision is captured in the 2026 budget. The adjustment will cost the Federal Government about ₦90bn annually,” he said.
On disputes over entry-level placement for newly employed doctors, Salako said the issue involved multiple government agencies and could not be resolved by the Ministry of Health alone.
“The ministry is not opposed to entry-level CONMESS 3 for doctors, but it is not a decision for one ministry to make. The Head of Service, the Salaries Commission and the Budget Office must be aligned,” he said.
Salako also rejected claims that the dismissal of some doctors at the Federal Medical Centre in Kogi State was linked to union activities, describing the action as a disciplinary matter handled through established civil service procedures.
According to him, the ministry reviewed the case and approved partial reinstatement based on the recommendations of an internal committee.
“The idea is to resolve issues properly — not on paper and not under pressure. If we allow time for consensus and bring everyone on board, we can achieve lasting stability in the health sector,” the minister said.
