NEWS
NARD Issues Six-Week Ultimatum To FG Over Unpaid MRTF, Salary Arrears
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called on the Federal Government to settle outstanding Medical Residency Training Funds (MRTF) for 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as the arrears of the upwardly revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
The demand was made at a press briefing held on Saturday, following the association’s 2025 January National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting in Abuja.
The meeting, themed “Empowering Doctors with Leadership and Entrepreneurship Skills: A Panacea for Universal Health Coverage and a Brighter Healthcare System,” addressed pressing issues affecting Nigeria’s healthcare system, including the ongoing brain drain and workforce shortages.
SEE ALSO: Abuja Doctors Embark On Three-Day Warning Strike Over Unpaid Salaries
Dr. Tope Osundara, NARD President, expressed frustration over the Federal Government’s failure to pay the arrears and make necessary adjustments to doctors’ salaries.
He highlighted the negative impact this has had on the morale of medical professionals, saying, “The NEC observed with dismay the persistent short-changing of our members over the past five years, as there have been no consequential adjustments to the CONMESS basic salary and allowances, in clear violation of the provisions of the 2009 collective bargaining agreement.”
Despite these concerns, NARD acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which convened a stakeholders’ meeting to address the MRTF issue.
The association also commended Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) who have settled Accoutrement Allowance arrears but warned that chronic manpower shortages continue to plague hospitals nationwide.
The NEC also recognized Prof. John Okeniyi, CMD of Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital Complex, for his work in promoting industrial peace within the institution.
Additionally, the NEC praised Barr. Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, for ensuring the payment of salaries and allowances in the FCT and for taking steps to address the MRTF issues.
However, NARD remains deeply concerned about the ongoing exodus of specialized medical personnel to privately owned teaching hospitals, largely due to insufficient remuneration.
“The NEC has observed some of the positive strides that the CMD of Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital Complex, Prof. John Okeniyi, has commenced towards ensuring and maintaining industrial peace within the hospital,” Osundara said, stressing the need for broader action to stem the tide of brain drain.
The association is now calling for immediate action to address these issues.
“The NEC resolved that the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria should expedite the payment of the 2025 MRTF, ensure the settlement of the outstanding 2023 and 2024 MRTF, and facilitate the payment of the 2022 MRTF arrears in line with the stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare,” Osundara added.
The NEC also demanded the prompt settlement of the 2022 CONMESS arrears and the full implementation of salary adjustments related to the 2019 and 2023 minimum wage revisions.
“The NEC demands the full implementation of the consequential adjustments for the 2019 and 2023 minimum wage on our basic salary and allowances, along with the payment of the accrued arrears,” he stated.
With no progress made in the next six weeks, NARD has threatened to call an emergency NEC meeting to reappraise the situation.
The association also called on all CMDs to ensure that the 2023/2024 Accoutrement Allowance arrears are fully paid and that the 2025 arrears are processed and settled promptly.
In addition to addressing salary issues, NARD emphasized the need for continued engagement with the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure ongoing recruitment of doctors, a key strategy in combating Nigeria’s healthcare workforce crisis.
The NEC also urged state governors to prioritize the welfare of doctors in state-owned hospitals and training institutions to curb the ongoing brain drain, while calling on privately owned teaching hospitals to improve the welfare packages for resident doctors.
NEWS
‘Dem Dey Use Stick Dey Flog Women’ — Nigerians in India Camp Cry Out
Nigerian women allegedly being held at a deportation facility in India have cried out over their treatment, with a video circulating online showing some of them displaying injuries and alleging that security personnel flogged detainees.
The video began circulating online on Wednesday and shows a group of Nigerian women inside and around what they described as a deportation camp.
Several of the women pointed to marks, bruises and apparent injuries on their legs, feet and bodies while alleging that they were beaten with sticks or canes.
SEE ALSO: Rufai Oseni Row: NiDCOM Breaks Silence on Nigerians Detained in India, Addresses Ekene’s Case
“See my video, see my leg,” one of the women could be heard saying in the footage.
Another woman said, “Mona see wetin dem dey do for deportation camp.”
“Deportation camp, na dem flog person, see,” another woman said while showing what appeared to be an injury.
The women further alleged that female detainees were beaten with sticks.
“Dem dey use stick dey flog women, mona dey see am,” one of them said.
Another woman, while pointing at an injured detainee, said, “Dem carry cane flog o… see her body, dem flog am.”
The women also alleged that police officers carried sticks inside the facility.
“Police carry stick like say dem dey cut firewood,” one of the women said.
The footage shows the women appearing distressed as they moved through the facility and gathered in an outdoor area.
They repeatedly appealed to Nigerians to share the video and draw attention to their situation.
“Make una see… make this video trend/go,” one woman said.
“Make una share am,” another added.
One of the women also expressed frustration over their alleged experience at the facility, saying, “We don suffer, every time, every time.”
The footage comes amid ongoing concerns over Nigerians detained at the Lampur detention centre, also known as Sewa Sadan, in New Delhi.
Recall that in September, reports emerged that more than 200 Nigerians were being held at the facility, with some detainees alleging poor food, inadequate medical care and prolonged detention.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) subsequently defended its handling of the situation and said the Nigerian High Commission in India was seeking another amnesty period to facilitate the departure of Nigerians without proper immigration documentation.
No official response from the Indian authorities or the Nigerian government specifically addressing the allegations in the latest video had been made available at the time of publication.
NEWS
‘Military Gets Huge Budgets, Yet Air Crashes Persist’ — Shehu Muhammad
Rights activist, public affairs analyst and Chief Executive Officer of The Dialogue, Shehu Muhammad, has questioned the continued occurrence of military aircraft crashes despite the huge budgetary allocations to the country’s defence and security sector.
Muhammad spoke while reacting to the recent Nigerian Navy aircraft crash in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
Describing the incident as “one incident too many,” he recalled that Nigeria had recorded several military aircraft crashes involving the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Army over the years.
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He said the recurring incidents had raised concerns among members of the public about the condition of military aircraft and the process through which military hardware is procured.
“People have begun to cast aspersions as to the honesty, sincerity, and openness in the purchase of military hardware, including airplanes,” Muhammad said.
According to him, the concerns are heightened by the substantial funds allocated to the military and other security agencies over the years.
“There are insinuations by the public that, after all, the military receive the highest amount of money from the budget year in, year out,” he said.
Muhammad also questioned the transparency of defence procurement, particularly the process of selecting contractors for the supply of military equipment.
He argued that the repeated crashes should prompt authorities to examine military aviation operations, aircraft procurement and the management of defence resources.
The latest crash occurred in Irele, Ondo State, with recovery efforts reportedly complicated by the difficult terrain around the crash site.
Muhammad said the latest incident should not be treated in isolation, but should lead to broader questions about military aviation safety and the management of resources allocated to the defence sector.
He called for greater transparency and accountability in the procurement and management of military hardware to restore public confidence.
NEWS
‘NYSC Has Outlived Its Usefulness, Should Be Scrapped’ — Shehu Muhammad
Rights activist and public affairs analyst, Shehu Mohammed, has called for the scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), saying the scheme has outlived its usefulness amid growing security concerns across the country.
Shehu made the call on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, while reacting to the kidnapping of prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps in Akwa Ibom and Anambra states.
He described the incident as “one incident too many,” noting that kidnapping, maiming and the detention of victims in kidnappers’ camps had become frequent in several parts of the country.
SEE ALSO: 2027: North Should Back South-West To Complete 8 Years In Power — Shehu Sani
“I think it is just a case of one incident too many. There are more unreported cases of kidnapping and maiming and detention in kidnappers’ den, almost all over the country, especially in the northern part of the country: the Middle North West, North East, and North Central. It’s a daily, daily happening,” Sani said.
He said the security situation had made him question the continued relevance of the NYSC scheme, which was established to promote national unity.
“When Bukola was saying that she objects to the scrapping of NYSC, I tend to take a different view. My view is that the entire NYSC was meant to unite Nigeria, but if in uniting Nigeria you lose your daughter, you lose your son, you lose your uncle, you lose your sister, you lose your neighbour, then it’s not worth the trouble,” he said.
Shehu argued that corps members should instead be allowed to serve in their respective states, eliminating the need for young Nigerians to travel long distances to orientation camps.
“This NYSC issue should be scrapped, removed from the constitution, allow each and every corps member to serve in his own state, traveling with all the dangers, with all the costs,” he said.
He also highlighted the financial burden placed on families when corps members are posted far from their home states.
“If a child is going from Katsina to Anambra State to report to the camp, minimum that you give him is three hundred thousand naira for transfer cost, three hundred. How many parents have three hundred thousand naira to give their wards?” Sani asked.
He said the financial burden was only one aspect of the problem, with corps members also facing security risks and possible trauma during interstate travel.
“Minus all the dangers, the consequences, the uncertainties, the traumas involved. If your child has to go through a trauma, through uncertainty, through pain, through kidnapping, through raping, eventually through killing, why do you have to go for NYSC?” he said.
“As far as I’m concerned, the NYSC project has outlived its usefulness. It should be scrapped.”
Shehu also warned that kidnapping in Nigeria was taking a new dimension, with criminal groups increasingly targeting vulnerable groups.
“Corps members are vulnerable groups. Travelers for commercial purposes all over the country are vulnerable groups. Therefore they are now going for soft targets,” he said.
According to him, kidnappers also use abductions to blackmail victims’ families and government authorities into paying ransom.
“The next one is blackmailing either the parents or blackmailing government to collect money,” he said.
Sani alleged that ransom payments were subsequently used to finance criminal activities.
“So they can finance their arm purchase. They can finance their purchase of hard drugs to enable them operate without pity and compassion, and to send permanent fear into the community,” he said.
He added that the kidnappers were using their activities to create fear within communities, despite being relatively few in number.





