Lagos doctors threaten strike over salary deductions, unpaid wages
Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has threatened to embark on a solidarity strike in support of the Medical Guild.
The strike threat comes after the state government made salary deductions in July 2025, and the NMA is demanding a refund of these deductions and full payment of August wages on or before August 25.
The resolution was reached at an Emergency General Meeting, EGM, convened by the association, where members reviewed the Guild’s 21-day ultimatum to the Lagos State Government.
Also discussed were long-standing issues, including the absence of call duty meals for doctors and the unresolved payment of skipping arrears at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH.
In a communiqué signed by its chairman, Dr Saheed Kehinde, the NMA Lagos stated that it would commence its strike two weeks after the Medical Guild begins its action if the government fails to act.
The controversy stems from salary deductions first introduced by the Lagos State Government on April 23, 2025, which were only reversed after widespread protests.
However, on July 23, the deductions resurfaced, prompting the Medical Guild to stage a three-day warning strike from July 28 to 30.
Despite this, the affected salaries have not been refunded, leading the Guild to issue an ultimatum that expires on August 25.
On welfare, the association condemned the LUTH management for failing to provide call duty meals for over five years. It recalled a February 2025 meeting with the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, where he proposed introducing a paid canteen system instead of restoring free meals.
The NMA rejected the plan outright, maintaining that doctors on call must be provided meals at no cost.
The communiqué also highlighted the lingering issue of skipping arrears, stressing that while other federal health institutions had paid, doctors in LUTH remain excluded. The association argued that workers are entitled to their wages irrespective of when arrears were incurred and vowed to keep pressing until the matter is resolved.
Calling for urgent intervention, the NMA urged the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, to work with relevant ministries and agencies to ensure the immediate refund of July deductions, timely payment of August salaries, and a permanent end to what it described as “obnoxious and crisis-prone” deductions.
Lagos doctors threaten strike over salary deductions, unpaid wages
