The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health, Hon. Amos Magaji, has stated that the committee has begun engagements with the leadership of the Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to resolve the ongoing crisis in the health sector.
He said the move was to ensure accountability and transparency in government commitments.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Magaji declared that the House will no longer stand aside in industrial disputes between the Federal Government and medical unions, stressing that future agreements must be sincere, practical, and reflected in the national budget.
“I sat with the leadership of the Association of Resident Doctors, and we have started engaging with them,” Magaji said. “Whatever you have engaged with the Federal Government regarding remuneration, salary adjustment, or allowances, we want to have a copy. My committee is going to be involved in the dispute between the medical workers and the Federal Government, so that if the government agrees to increase salaries by a certain percent, we want to see it reflected in the budget.”
The lawmaker lamented that lack of sincerity in past negotiations fueled recurring strikes in the health sector.
“Over the years, what happens is that agreements are made, be it with medical doctors or ASUU, and at the end, most times, we are not sincere in our dispute resolution,” he said. “You sit with medical doctors, you sit with ASUU, and because you want them to resume work, you quickly agree with them. But after calling off the strike, they work for six months, one year, and those agreements are not met.”
Magaji emphasised that transparency was key to lasting peace with unions.
“If you are going to increase salaries by 5%, know what you can do and what you cannot do. Don’t lie; come clean,” he said. “I think if we are sincere with our unions in dispute resolutions, we will not have all these strikes all the time.”
He added that the committee would review all demands made by resident doctors, including those in the FCT, and classify them by timelines and feasibility
“We will put the Federal Government, especially the Ministry of Health and all responsible bodies in check to ensure that whatever they have agreed with the union is implemented in the budget,” Magaji assured.
According to him, the House is determined that “this time around, whatever agreement is made, it will be implemented,” signaling a stronger legislative oversight role in resolving health sector disputes.
His comments come amid the current ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
NARD President, Mohammad Suleiman, disclosed in a statement that the strike directive was issued after the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier given to the Federal Government over unresolved demands.
The association’s National Executive Council (NEC), which had been locked in a five-hour meeting, had approved the strike action.
“The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action,” the statement read in part.
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