The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has concluded plans to call out members of all affiliate bodies across the country on indefinite strike when the subsisting 21 – day ultimatum elapses on July 21, 2025, without the federal government meeting their set of demands, LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered on Friday.

Chairman of the NMA Akwa Ibom State branch, Dr. Aniekan Imo Peter, said the action became necessary following years of ill treatments in areas of welfare, emoluments with very poor salaries.

Addressing journalists in Uyo, the state capital yesterday, Dr. Peter lamented that the insensitive disposition to medical workers‘ welfare had forced hundreds of members to seek greener pasture abroad, including some developing countries like Ghana, Togo and Cameroun, with higher emoluments and favorable work conditions than Nigeria.

He expressed dismay that Nigerian doctors were being frustrated and subjected to extreme hunger with poor salary average of N300,000, while their counterparts in other states like Ebony, have higher emoluments, not to talk of South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and Saudi Arabia, where salaries of medical professionals runs in millions of dollars.

A communique arising from the emergency extraordinary meeting of the branch signed by Dr. Peter, chairman and secretary, Dr. Edesiri Horodge, described the pay rise for medical professionals as released by the National Salary, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) as “sad, insulting, and insensitive to the medical workers,” and called for its rejection.

“The meeting was called to brief members on the 21-day ultimatum issued by the National Officers Conmittee (NOC) of the NMA to the Federal Government of Nigeria in response to the circular issued by the National Salaries,Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) regarding the review of allowances for Medical and Dental Officers in the Federal Public Service,”  he recalled.

„Our members referred to the circular „as unjust, demoralizing,and a clear breach of existing agreements,which undermines the value and welfare of medical professionals in the public sector.

„The circular is a violation of previously established Collective Bargaining Agreements(CBAs), representing a blatant disregard for the welfare of doctors who have continued patriotically to serve this nation under dire conditions and capable of accelerating the ongoing brain -drain in the health sector,“ they stressed While commending  NMA National President, Prof.Bala Audu and his NOC Executive for promptly addressing this issue and issuing a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, the state branch joined others to reject the circular.

They, therefore, listed their demands to include Improvement of the living minimum wage with at least 300 percent pay rise for all

medical and dental practitioners and universal applicability of all salary adjustments and allowances for medical and dental practitioners in state, ministries departments and agencies (MDAs), private sector and the Universities.

Others included the immediate withdrawal of the circular on review of allowances for medical dental officers in the federal public service dated 27 June 2025,; immediate correction of consequential adjustments in line with the agreements of 2001,2009, and 2014 CBAs.

The medical workers also demanded the immediate correction of the relativiy agreement between CONMESS and CONHESS and compliance with relativity in all professional allowances in accordance with the 2001 CBA, especially regarding call duty allowances and payment of all accrued backlogs.