The Digest:
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has backed the planned nationwide strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), accusing the federal government of "betrayal" over its decision to halt the implementation of the revised professional allowance table. In a statement on X, Atiku said: "The Federal Government signed a deal... and now it wants to abandon it. This is not governance; it is betrayal." He listed 19 months of unpaid allowance arrears and a stalled training fund, adding that every doctor lost abroad is "a failure of leadership."
Key Points
- Atiku's support adds political weight to the doctors' demands.
- The strike could cripple healthcare services in federal hospitals.
- Unpaid allowances have been accumulating for 19 months.
- Brain drain of doctors to the UK, Canada, and Saudi Arabia is accelerating.
- The former VP challenges Tinubu to honour the agreement or explain to Nigerians.
Watch whether the federal government negotiates before Tuesday's strike deadline or faces widespread healthcare disruption.
Sources: TheCable
