Medical and dental lecturers under the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) have given the Federal Government until August 31 to resolve outstanding salary and allowance issues, warning that failure could lead to a three-day warning strike.
The association said the proposed action would affect medical and dental training in universities and other institutions if the government fails to address the issues under negotiation.
NAMDA extended its earlier ultimatum at an Emergency National Executive Council meeting held on August 5, giving the government an additional three weeks to conclude discussions on the outstanding demands.
Speaking with journalists at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, the NAMDA chairman at the institution, Prof. Andrew Ugburo, said the association had relied on negotiations for years but was becoming increasingly concerned about the slow pace of implementation.
He said NAMDA had never embarked on a nationwide strike and remained committed to resolving the dispute through dialogue, but added that continued delays could leave the association with little choice.
According to him, one of the major issues is the disparity between the remuneration of medical and dental academics and that of similarly qualified doctors working in teaching hospitals and other clinical institutions.
Ugburo said the difference in pay was encouraging specialists to leave university employment for better-paying clinical positions, creating what he described as an “internal brain drain” within the health and education sectors.
He explained that medical academics perform duties beyond classroom teaching, including supervising students during clinical rotations and call duties, assessing their practical competencies and training them to manage patients and emergency situations.
He said failure to address the remuneration gap could make it increasingly difficult for universities to retain experienced specialists needed for the training of future doctors and dentists.
NAMDA also expressed concern over the non-implementation of allowances for medical and dental academics despite previous agreements with the Federal Government.
The association said some of its demands were captured in agreements reached with the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), but that the absence of the necessary government circulars had continued to hinder implementation.
Ugburo said the situation persisted even after the Federal Government and NAMDA reached an agreement on February 18, 2026, with several issues yet to be fully implemented.
He said repeated meetings had not produced the desired outcome, with government representatives continuing to give reasons for delays in resolving some of the outstanding matters.
Among the allowances being demanded is the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CARTA), which the association said was necessary to enable medical academics to attend professional conferences and remain updated in their respective fields.
Ugburo said the cost of attending international medical conferences had risen significantly, making it difficult for lecturers to fund professional development from their salaries.
He warned that inadequate opportunities for continuing professional development could ultimately affect the quality of knowledge and skills passed on to medical students.
The General Secretary of NAMDA at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof. Kehinde Okunade, said the association would continue to explore dialogue before taking industrial action.
He said another congress would be held to assess the government’s response and determine the next course of action.
Okunade said the association was conscious of the consequences of industrial action in medical education and would therefore ensure that all available avenues for negotiation were exhausted.
NAMDA said it had also engaged other stakeholders, including the Department of State Services, in its efforts to draw attention to the dispute.
The association warned that if the outstanding issues were not resolved by August 31, it would commence with the proposed three-day warning strike, while further failure to reach an agreement could result in more prolonged industrial action.
The development could place additional pressure on medical education programmes, particularly those requiring specialist lecturers for classroom instruction, clinical supervision and practical training.
