Resident Doctors Suspend Strike As Wike Meets Demands

Resident doctors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have suspended their strike following the approval of their demands by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike. The doctors had downed tools on September 15 over unpaid arrears and unresolved issues with the FCT Administration, but Wike confirmed that their requests had been signed off.

The Minister disclosed this on Friday during the flag-off of the Northern Parkway construction project, linking Ring Road II to Ring Road III along Shehu Yar’Adua Way in Lifecamp, Abuja. He said the doctors’ decision to suspend their action was commendable and in the best interest of patients and the territory.

“I must commend the resident doctors for calling off the strike. The administration is happy with their understanding. I have signed all their requests on my table today,” Wike said.

Wike directed the FCT Acting Head of Service and his Senior Special Adviser on Administration, Dr. Samuel Atang, to immediately implement the approvals. He assured that the administration was committed to addressing the welfare of health workers and ensuring industrial harmony in the sector.

The doctors had embarked on strike after months of failed negotiations with the FCTA. Their demands included payment of salary arrears of between one and six months for members employed since 2023, recruitment of additional staff, and settlement of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund.

They also sought arrears from the 25–35 per cent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, correction of irregular salary payments, stoppage of erroneous deductions, and clear timelines for completing skipping and conversion processes. Other demands covered wage award arrears, 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears, and outstanding payments to external residents for 2025.

Speaking on the infrastructure project, Wike said the construction of the Northern Parkway would create more jobs, reduce traffic congestion in Abuja, and enhance economic activities. He stressed that the project was in line with his administration’s resolve to deliver lasting infrastructure that meets the city’s growth needs.

The Minister assured both residents and workers in the FCT that his administration would continue to prioritize welfare, infrastructure, and service delivery, adding that dialogue remained the best tool for resolving disputes.

In a related development, the Mandate Secretary of the Health and Environment Service Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, during a press briefing in Abuja, said the minister’s approval was designed to ensure a lasting solution.

This is as she further revealed that employment of new staff had already commenced, with 27 doctors engaged and plans underway to recruit close to 300 healthcare workers.

“The good thing about the minister’s approval is we will not have to have this agitation again. For his approvals to be sustainable, we need time for administrative purposes. Employment does not lead to salary the next day. There are processes, and in the shortest possible time, allowances due will be paid,” she said.

While noting that the FCT Administration was focused on building sustainable health systems, not just infrastructure, Dr. Fasawe explained that Abuja’s expansion demanded corresponding growth in social services.

“What’s the point of expanding physical infrastructure when we don’t have human resources? Right now, human resources in health are what we are focusing on.

“We can move a patient from Abaji to Maitama in minutes compared to hours before the infrastructural upgrade. But without staff to man facilities, we are wasting resources,” she said, adding that 86 primary healthcare centers were currently fully functional.

Dr. Fasawe assured residents that the administration’s priority remained strengthening human resources in health and sustaining reforms.

“Every allowance due will be paid. We do not want to come back to this agitation next year. That is why we are putting in place systems that guarantee sustainability,” she said.

On his part, the President of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Osundare Zenith, commended Wike’s response to the demand.

“It is not that we are a political stooge or we are trying to fight the FCT minister or fight anybody. Nobody is using us. We are doing what is right to get his attention and the attention was gotten and he attended to everything that was listed in our demands. We want to appreciate him for being generous. We want to appreciate him for being a father. We also want to appreciate him because he is taking matters of health as a priority.” He said

Similarly, the President of the Association of Resident Doctors, FCTA chapter, Dr. George Ebong, confirmed the suspension of the strike.

“Today the Congress voted to suspend the strike. This is because the FCT minister granted all our requests,” he announced.

Dr. Ebong expressed gratitude to the minister for his decisive intervention. “We believe that only him could do this and he has done it. We want to assure him that together we will build a healthcare system for the citizens of Abuja to enjoy,” he said.