As the Nigerian Medical Association’s (NMA) 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government expires on July 23, it has warned that if the government does not accept its demands, medical services will be suspended nationwide.
Its president, Prof Bala Audu, confirmed this in an exclusive chat with our correspondent on Sunday and stated that the group was prepared to take decisive action if the government failed to effectively respond to its demands.
Prof. Audu emphasised that the association’s demands were vital to the sustainability of Nigeria’s healthcare system and the well-being of medical professionals throughout the country.
The National Medical Association issued an ultimatum on July 2 in protest of the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission’s circular on amended allowances for medical and dental officers in the federal public service, which the doctors objected to for violating past agreements.
The group issued a 21-day ultimatum to the federal government to remove the circular and meet its other objectives in order to avoid industrial action in the health sector.
“We have made our position clear. The ultimatum ends on July 23, and if the federal government does not address our demands, we may have no choice but to proceed with a strike,” he said.
According to him, the circular includes clauses that were not mutually agreed upon and harm medical professionals’ income and welfare.
“We have rejected that circular outright. We expect that any new directive affecting our members should be the outcome of mutual consultation, not something imposed,” he stated.
Prof. Audu revealed that the NMA had been engaging with the Federal Government to avert a crisis.
“The last meeting happened two weeks ago, and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate; the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako; the Permanent Secretary; the Director of Hospital Services; and the representative of the minister of labour were at the meeting, and some affiliates of the NMA were present, and I was part of that meeting as well.
“The minister appreciated us, then he spoke about the issues as contained in the list of demands from the NMA.
“However, he felt that we should go for a further meeting, and another meeting was slated for last week, unfortunately, in the week we lost the former President Muhammadu Buhari, so the meeting couldn’t be held.
“However, the next meeting is supposed to happen between us and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, which issued a circular that we feel is obnoxious, and we have rejected it. We would also meet with the Ministry of Finance and representatives from the Ministry of Health,” he added.
The NMA president voiced concern that time was running out, stating that if the meeting was not conducted within the next few days, the association may be forced to take strike action.
“We expect that after the funeral ceremonies, government stakeholders will reconvene with us, hopefully by Monday. Otherwise, the 21-day ultimatum still stands.
“If the government fails to prioritise this matter, a strike may be inevitable,” he added.
The Katsina State NMA chapter, in a communique issued after its State Executive Council meeting, expressed “grave disappointment” and “unequivocal condemnation” over the circular.
The meeting, held in Katsina on Saturday, noted that “NMA Katsina State branch hereby rejects National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’s (NSIWC) circular (SWC/S/04/S.218/III/646) dated 27th June, 2025, on review of allowances for medical/dental officers in the federal public service and demands urgent government withdrawal action and fulfilment of all the demands.”
The statement, which was made available to journalists on Sunday, was signed by Dr Muhammadu Sani, Chairman of the NMA Katsina, and Dr Yahya Salisu, Secretary.
The association warned that if its requests were not met, it would be unable to ensure the continuity of health-care services.
