The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has rejected a new circular from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), warning that it violates existing agreements and threatens to destabilize the nation’s healthcare system. The circular, dated June 27, 2025, proposes revised allowances for medical and dental officers in the federal public service, but the NMA described it as misleading, inadequate, and a breach of collective bargaining agreements reached in 2001, 2009, and 2014.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, NMA President Professor Bala Audu condemned the circular, stating it undermines years of negotiations and aggravates tensions among medical professionals. The association has issued a 21-day ultimatum, threatening a nationwide strike if the government does not address their demands.
The NMA’s key demands include:
- Immediate withdrawal of the NSIWC circular.
- Payment of all outstanding arrears, including 25/35 percent CONMESS entitlements, clinical duty, and accoutrement allowances.
- Release and review of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund.
- Issuance of circulars on clinical duty and honorary consultants’ allowances.
- Implementation of specialist, scarce skills, and excess workload allowances.
- Enforcement of the 2021 hazard allowance agreement.
- Uniform adoption of CONMESS across all federal and state ministries and agencies to curb brain drain.
Professor Audu emphasized that the association has made repeated good-faith efforts to engage government agencies but has been ignored. He called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the Nigerian public to intervene urgently to prevent a collapse of healthcare services.
The NMA warned that failure to meet their demands within the 21-day window would lead to a nationwide withdrawal of medical services, potentially crippling Nigeria’s fragile health sector. Audu stressed that while Nigerian doctors are committed to their duties, their goodwill is not limitless amid ongoing neglect and exploitation.
The association concluded by urging swift government action to honor prior agreements and safeguard the future of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
