The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has approved all the demands put forward by resident doctors in Abuja who embarked on strike action earlier in the week. The doctors had downed tools on September 15, citing months of unpaid entitlements and unresolved issues with the FCT Administration.
Speaking on Friday during the official flag-off of the Northern Parkway construction project in Life Camp, Wike confirmed that he had signed off on the doctors’ requests and directed the immediate implementation of the approvals. He also praised the doctors for suspending their industrial action in the interest of patients and the larger FCT community.
“I must commend the resident doctors for calling off the strike. The administration is happy with their understanding. I have signed all the doctors’ requests on my table today,” the minister said. He further instructed the Acting Head of Service of the FCT and his Senior Special Assistant on Administration, Samuel Atang, to ensure prompt execution of the agreements.
The resident doctors had embarked on strike after prolonged negotiations with the FCT Administration yielded no concrete results. Their demands included payment of salary arrears ranging from one to six months for doctors employed since 2023, recruitment of new medical staff, settlement of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, and the payment of arrears from the 25/35 percent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
Other key issues raised by the doctors were timelines for completing pending skipping and conversion processes, correction of irregular salary payments, stoppage of erroneous deductions, and the payment of outstanding wage awards. They also pressed for the settlement of 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears and clearance of arrears owed to 2025 external residents.
The strike, which began on Monday, had disrupted healthcare services across hospitals in the territory, putting patients in distress and mounting pressure on other health facilities. The suspension of the action came as a relief to many residents who had been left stranded and fearful of the implications of prolonged disruption in the health sector.
Meanwhile, Wike used the platform of the Northern Parkway flag-off to highlight the FCT Administration’s commitment to infrastructural development. He explained that the project, linking Ring Road II to Ring Road III along Shehu Yar’Adua Way, would ease traffic congestion, create employment opportunities, and stimulate economic activities within the city.
The minister assured Abuja residents that the administration would continue to prioritize both welfare of workers and the provision of critical infrastructure. His intervention in the doctors’ strike is seen as a strategic move to restore confidence in the government’s responsiveness to workers’ grievances while maintaining the momentum of ongoing development projects in the capital.
