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Nigerian resident doctors are pissed with their new salary structure
Good morning, Big Brains. Am I the only one who’s slightly pissed when I miss a perfect oppurtunity to sleep? There was perfect sleeping weather throughout the weekend, but I still couldn’t catch the sleep I wanted because I was busy being an adult. Here’s to hoping this weekend is better.
This Week’s Big Question: “You have the opportunity to chat with a Nigerian politician for one hour, who would it be, and why?” Share your responses with us, and if we think they’re fun enough, we’ll feature them in the newsletter :) So be on the lookout.
- Chigor
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Let’s get into the news you missed during the weekend:
Nigerian resident doctors are pissed with their new salary structure
The first draft of the amended constitution will be ready by December
The Big Deal
Nigerian resident doctors are pissed with their new salary structure
It’s one thing to be on the list of God’s strongest soldiers, and it’s another to have more things added to your problems. Nigerian doctors have recently found themselves in this position, but they are sticking it to the man in the best ways they can.
On Sunday, July 6, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) called out the new salary structure for medical doctors and dental officers in the country, making it the third medical body to do so since its release. Others include the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN).
It all started on June 27, when the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC) released a circular announcing a restructuring in how doctors and dentists in Nigeria are paid.
Shortly after, on July 2, the NMA, clearly pissed, put out a statement dragging the commission. The association didn’t stop there; it also made 17 demands, which it has given the federal government 21 days to meet.
The public is yet to know the details of the circular due to its unavailability on the commission’s website, but the statements from the medical bodies paint a clear picture of what’s in it. The July 5 statement released by the NMA Lagos chapter, for instance, provides more insight into the grievances of the medical professionals.
According to NMA Lagos, the restructuring does not acknowledge the salary relativity between doctors and other health workers, which is determined by training, clinical responsibility, and risk exposure.
The Chairman of the NMA Lagos, Dr. Babajide Saheed, explains that tampering with this system could cause confusion and friction over hospital clinical leadership
NMA Lagos revealed that the restructuring also includes a proposal to pay specialist and honorarium allowances to health professionals who are not doctors.
“These allowances are specifically designed for clinicians recognised by accredited professional colleges. Extending them beyond that undermines the purpose of specialist certification,” Saheed said, quoting a WHO guideline which recommends that “Specialist remuneration must reflect clinical leadership, depth of knowledge, and risk exposure.”
In addition, the NSWIC also proposes to equalise the salaries of medical doctors and holders of academic doctorates in allied health disciplines, such as Doctor of Pharmacy or Doctor of Optometry. To this, NMA Lagos said, “It is misleading and professionally indefensible to equate a Doctor of Pharmacy with a certified medical consultant. No developed health system operates like that—not in the UK, Canada, or Australia.”
Why is this a big deal?
If you tried spotting the last time Nigerian doctors were happy with their payments and working conditions, you will probably not succeed. From their salaries being delayed or not paid at all, to getting abducted on the job, or working in conditions so bad that some have slumped and died, Doctors practising medicine in Nigeria have seen way too much shege.
These conditions have fueled and continue to fuel the mass relocation of doctors and other medical professionals from the country. It is so bad that 16,000 doctors have left the country in the past seven years, and within that time, (between 2021 and 2022), Nigeria had the highest exodus of healthcare workers in the entire African continent.
A 2025 study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio is 1:9,083, a far cry from the WHO’s recommended ratio of 1:600.
Considering how bad it is, the government should not be seen as doing more to push the remaining doctors over the edge because, as the NMA said, “this recent occurrence has aggravated a pre-existing tension amongst the remaining doctors who still find it patriotic to remain here to practice.”
The first draft of the amended constitution will be ready by December
If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you must have heard us mention a million times by now that the National Assembly has been reviewing the Nigerian constitution since February 2024.
We also told you not too long ago that both chambers of the assembly would be carrying out public hearings across the country's six geopolitical zones for the proposed reviews. We come bearing another news this time— the first draft of what will be your new constitution will be ready by the time you’re doing your Christmas shopping.
On Saturday, July 5, the Deputy Senate President and Chairman, Senate Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution, Jibrin Barawu, told journalists that the final draft of the constitutional amendment would be sent over to the state houses of assembly for ratification before the end of the year.
Speaking on behalf of Barawu, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, gave journalists a peek into the major requests that the Southwest region made during the just-concluded Zonal Public Hearing in Lagos State. Some include state police, local government creation, judicial reforms, electoral reforms, state creation, and more.
This is not the end of the public hearings. The House of Representatives will carry out its own public hearings, and after that, two-thirds of the State House of Assembly will still have to give their approval before it becomes law.
Why does this matter?
This is a rare opportunity to have a say in the law that governs you. According to Bamidee, the essence is that your “elected representatives will not sit in Abuja and begin to tamper with the constitution.”
It is important that you follow this constitution amendment through to the end to avoid stories that touch. Luckily, we're here to make sure you stay informed.
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Let’s settle this thing…
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