'You Cannot Mass-Produce Doctors Without Investing in Their Trainers' – Medical Lecturers Plan Three-Day Warning Strike Over Poor Welfare

Published by Oravbiere Osayomore Promise. 

The Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics has resolved to embark on a three-day warning strike across medical schools, research and health institutions nationwide to protest the poor conditions of service and prolonged neglect of medical doctors in academia. The industrial action, scheduled to commence on Tuesday, September 3, 2026, has been endorsed by 14 branches of the association and will be total and comprehensive across medical schools in the country. NAMDA's Acting National Secretary, Prof Aniekan Peters, who signed a statement made available to journalists in Uyo, warned that medical lecturers were being pushed into an avoidable strike because the Federal Government continued to ignore their legitimate concerns.

The union listed several critical issues that have remained unresolved despite previous engagements with the government. These include the failure of the Federal Government to conclude negotiations on the conditions of service for medical lecturers initiated through the Ahmed Yahale Committee; non-payment of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, the Medical and Clinical Academic Training Allowance, Earned Academic Allowance, Excess Workload Allowance and Professorial Allowance. Prof Peters noted that the absence of government circulars has prevented the full implementation of agreements, with some provisions contained in the Federal Government-ASUU agreements not translating into tangible benefits for medical and dental academics. The association stressed that despite the severe shortage of medical educators and the worsening "Japa" migration syndrome, the government appears determined to mass-produce doctors to address the healthcare gap while neglecting the welfare of the lecturers who train them.

The dispute over remuneration has been a long-standing source of frustration. NAMDA was formed partly to address the growing disparity between the remuneration of medical lecturers and similarly qualified doctors in federal medical centres and teaching hospitals. Prof Andrew Ugburo, Chairman of NAMDA at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, explained that this disparity was driving an "internal brain drain," as specialists increasingly rejected university appointments for better-paying clinical positions, while others leave the country under the Japa syndrome. He stressed that medical academics have responsibilities that extend beyond conventional university teaching, including taking students on call duty and teaching them the skills to save lives. "What will happen is that it will lead to an internal brain drain," Ugburo warned.

NAMDA issued a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government on August 5, 2026, giving the government until August 31 to resolve the outstanding demands. The union had earlier extended a 21-day ultimatum by three weeks to allow for robust discussions and a favourable compromise. However, the union expressed frustration over what it described as a pattern of delay and inaction, noting that meetings often ended with excuses such as the chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission being out of the country. Despite seeking intervention from the Department of State Services and other stakeholders, NAMDA warned that industrial action by medical academics could have serious consequences for healthcare and medical education.

The union has called on the Federal Government to return to the negotiating table and resolve the outstanding welfare issues before the action begins. Peters criticized the apparent focus on increasing the number of doctors without paying equal attention to the academics responsible for training them. "You cannot mass-produce doctors without investing in the doctors and medical lecturers who train them," he declared. As the September 3 deadline approaches, NAMDA has warned that failure to address these grievances will make the full implementation of the warning strike inevitable, potentially disrupting medical education nationwide. The association maintained that medical academics had continued to serve despite difficult economic conditions and growing pressure to leave the country, and that continued inaction by the government could no longer be ignored.

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