Medical Lecturers Back Three-Day Warning Strike Over Unresolved Welfare Issues
Korede Abdullah 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Medical lecturers across Nigeria have endorsed a planned three-day nationwide warning strike over unresolved welfare and salary-related issues, with the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) warning that government inaction is worsening the shortage of academic staff in medical schools.
NAMDA said 14 of its 17 branches voted in favour of the industrial action scheduled to commence next Tuesday, describing the strike as a total and comprehensive withdrawal of services.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the association’s Acting Secretary-General, Prof. Aniekan Peter, said years of unfulfilled promises by the Federal Government had left medical lecturers frustrated despite the growing exodus of professionals from the country’s universities.
Peter, a Professor of Neuroanatomy at the University of Uyo, said unresolved issues include the failure of the Ahmed Yahaya Committee to conclude negotiations on the conditions of service for medical lecturers, formal implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for eligible academics, and payment of the Medical and Clinical Academic Training Allowance (MCATA).
Other outstanding demands include the payment of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), Excess Workload Allowance and Professorial Allowance.
He argued that the continued neglect of medical lecturers has compounded the impact of the ongoing “Japa” trend, which has significantly reduced the number of experienced academics available to train future healthcare professionals.
According to him, expanding medical school admissions without improving lecturers’ welfare would further weaken the country’s medical education system.
“We say no to slave wages for medical lecturers. You cannot mass-produce doctors without investing in the doctors and medical lecturers who train them,” Peter said.
NAMDA urged the Federal Government to return to the negotiating table and resolve the outstanding issues before the warning strike begins.
The planned industrial action comes amid growing concerns over the migration of Nigerian doctors and lecturers, with stakeholders warning that inadequate staffing threatens the quality of medical education and healthcare delivery.
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