Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has thrown his weight behind the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), accusing the Federal Government of reneging on agreements reached with the doctors over professional allowances and welfare.
In a strongly worded post shared on his X handle, Atiku criticized what he described as the government’s failure to honour commitments already signed with resident doctors, warning that Nigeria’s already fragile healthcare system could worsen if urgent steps are not taken.
“The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors should not have to beg for what has already been agreed upon. The Federal Government signed a deal on the Professional Allowance Table, and now it wants to abandon it. This is not governance; it is betrayal,” Atiku wrote.
The former presidential candidate expressed concern over the working conditions of resident doctors, describing them as the backbone of hospitals struggling to stay functional across the country.
“Our resident doctors are the last line of defence in hospitals that are already collapsing. They work gruelling hours, in impossible conditions, for pay that insults their sacrifice. And now, the government seeks to take away the little that was promised?” he stated.
Atiku also listed key issues he said required immediate government attention, including 19 months of unpaid professional allowance arrears, unresolved promotion arrears, delays in the Medical Residency Training Fund, and what he described as a lack of urgency in addressing the welfare of healthcare workers.
“The Tinubu administration must demonstrate commitment to the issues: 19 months of unpaid Professional Allowance arrears; promotion arrears gathering dust; a Medical Residency Training Fund stuck in bureaucratic limbo; and a government that treats its doctors as an afterthought and remains unconcerned as they flee the country in droves,” he said.
The former vice president further linked the ongoing migration of Nigerian doctors to poor leadership and broken promises, warning that continued neglect could deepen the country’s healthcare crisis.
“Every doctor Nigeria loses to the UK, Canada, or Saudi Arabia is a failure of leadership, not a failure of patriotism. You cannot ask people to serve a nation that refuses to honour its own word,” he added.
Declaring his support for the doctors, Atiku urged the Federal Government led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently resolve the dispute to avoid disruption of healthcare services.
“I stand with NARD. Pay what you owe. Honour what you signed. Or explain to 200 million Nigerians why their hospitals will go dark on Tuesday. -AA”
The development comes amid rising concerns over Nigeria’s healthcare system, as stakeholders warn that continued disputes between doctors and government authorities could further strain medical services nationwide.