The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has convened an Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting to review its 30-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government, amid unresolved welfare and policy disputes affecting medical practitioners nationwide.
According to a notice obtained by The Punch on Tuesday, the virtual meeting is scheduled to hold on Saturday, October 25, 2025, and will determine whether the union will proceed with a planned industrial action.
The notice, signed by NARD Secretary-General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim, was addressed to the National Officers’ Committee, Caucus Leaders, Centre Presidents, and General Secretaries.
“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 statement read in part.
The meeting comes as the 30-day deadline, issued on September 26, 2025, draws to a close. NARD had given the Federal Government one month to address a series of lingering welfare and policy issues affecting resident doctors and medical officers across the country.
Among the grievances listed were unregulated work hours, which the doctors described as “unsustainable and dangerous to both health workers and patient safety.”
The association also condemned the non-payment of 25% and 35% CONMESS arrears, expected to have been cleared by August 2025, as well as outstanding salary arrears and the “unjust dismissal” of five resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.
Other key complaints include:
Unpaid promotion arrears and 2024 accoutrement allowance.
Delays in upgrading doctors after postgraduate exams, resulting in unpaid arrears.
Exclusion of resident doctors from specialist allowances despite their advanced clinical roles.
Downgrading of newly employed doctors from CONMESS 3 Step 3 to CONMESS 2 Step 2.
NARD also raised alarm over persistent salary shortfalls spanning over seven years, non-release of corrected professional allowances, and casualisation of medical staff — leaving some doctors without job security for nearly a decade.
The association further criticised the government’s failure to implement special pension benefits agreed with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in July 2025, linking the situation to the escalating brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector.
NARD lamented that many hospitals operate with obsolete equipment and dilapidated infrastructure, undermining patient care and residency training.
It also faulted the creation of consultant cadres for non-medical doctors, describing it as “a move detrimental to patient safety and professional standards.”
As the October 25 E-NEC meeting approaches, all eyes are on the resident doctors’ union, whose decision could determine whether Nigeria’s healthcare system faces another nationwide strike in the coming days.
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