Health
FG Can’t Use Bond To Keep Us In Nigeria – Doctors Reply Ngige
Doctors in Nigeria have rejected a proposal by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, for physicians trained in Nigeria to work in the country for at least nine years before being allowed to migrate.
This is just as Sunday Punch observed that the number of Nigerian doctors practising in the United Kingdom had hit 8, 983 as of Saturday and is likely to hit 9,000 this week.
Ngige had during the 2022 budget defence of his ministry at the House of Representatives earlier in the week lamented the effect of brain drain on the health sector in relation to the low cost of medical education in the country.
According to the minister, medical workers trained by the government should be made to sign a bond that would make them serve the country for at least nine years before they can consider relocating to another country.
He had said, “Medical education in Nigeria is almost free. Where else in the world is it free? The Presidential Committee on Health should come with a proposal for bonding doctors, nurses, medical laboratory scientists and other health workers so that they don’t just carry their bags and walk out of their country at will when they are trained at no cost.
“In London, it is £45,000 a session for medical education in universities. If you go to Edinburgh or Oxford, you pay $80,000. If you go to the USA you pay $45,000 but if you go to the Ivy leagues, you pay $90,000 for only tuition, excluding lodging. You do it for six years. So, people in America take loans.
“We can make provisions for loans and you pay back. If the government will train you for free, we should bond you. You serve the country for nine years before you go anywhere.”
But the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria and the Guild of Medical Directors on Saturday faulted Ngige’s plan.
The immediate past president of MDCAN and a member of the National Executive Council of the Association, Prof. Ken Ekilo, in an interview with Sunday Punch faulted Ngige’s proposal about the bond.
According to Ekilo, lots of factors contribute to the brain drain being reported in the country and creating bonds won’t solve them.
He stated, “The minister’s suggestion shows a poor appreciation of the forces at play concerning brain drain in Nigeria. The Nigerian work environment is hostile to the medical doctors and the Nigerian security situation is hostile to Nigerian citizens. Infrastructure is poor, equipment is obsolete, drugs and supplies are out of stock, and the personnel are few, overworked and underpaid.
“There is no sense of job satisfaction, professional growth or commensurate financial reward. These are the push factors, the salaries being offered by the destination countries are irresistible, in addition to perks such as paid holidays, free education for children, sponsorship for training, conferences, and workshops all within the context of a stable society with functional social amenities. These are the pull factors.
“The idea of bonding doctors alone is faulty on several fronts. First, it is not only doctors that are trained at public expense, so the bond will have to be required of anyone who has passed through the public education system in Nigeria.”
He argued that the policy would send the wrong signal to workers, as it will indicate a failure of ideas on the part of government and a resort to coercion reminiscent of countries lacking in social liberty.
Medical doctors employed by the Lagos State Government have announced a three-day warning strike scheduled to commence at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, July 28, 2025, in protest against what they described as the “unlawful and disrespectful” deduction of their salaries by the state.
Operating under the Medical Guild, the doctors said the strike action follows failed efforts to resolve the dispute through dialogue. The industrial action is expected to conclude by 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
At a press briefing held at the Guild’s secretariat in Lagos, the chairman, Dr Japhet Olugbogi, explained that the impasse began in April 2025 when the state government unilaterally deducted salaries from medical and dental officers without prior consultation.
He noted that although many of their members initially demanded an immediate strike, the Guild’s leadership opted to pursue a more diplomatic route through negotiation and advocacy.
“Following persistent engagement, the deductions were reversed, and a six-member conciliation committee, comprising representatives from both the Guild and the government, was set up,” Olugbogi said. “It was agreed that all parties would maintain the status quo until a resolution was reached.”
However, the Guild accused the Lagos State Treasury Office of violating the agreement by implementing another round of deductions in July, which triggered the decision to embark on the warning strike.
The Guild is demanding:
An immediate reversal of the July salary deductions
Full payment of 12-month revised CONMESS arrears owed to honorary consultants at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH
The union also issued a 21-day ultimatum, warning that failure to meet its demands could lead to an indefinite strike.
Dr Olugbogi expressed deep concern over the growing instability within the state’s health sector, exacerbated by economic hardship and the ongoing exodus of medical professionals from Nigeria.
“It is disheartening that the most senior medical doctor in the Lagos State system earns less than $1,100. Instead of supporting our members, the government is cutting from their already inadequate income. This cannot be allowed to continue,” he said.
He appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene urgently to prevent a collapse of healthcare delivery across the state.
According to the Guild, more than 385 doctors participated in the emergency congress where the strike was ratified unanimously.
The Guild’s Secretary, Dr Adekunle Akinade, confirmed that the union is prepared to escalate its measures if the government does not respond swiftly to their demands.
Lagos State Government has activated its Emergency Response Committee following a diphtheria outbreak in the boarding house of King’s College, Lagos, Victoria Island Annex.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, confirmed the outbreak and assured the public that the situation was under control.
He urged residents to avoid panic as the government intensified measures to contain the infection.
The outbreak was first detected on February 22, when a 12-year-old student presented symptoms and was admitted to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Despite receiving treatment, he succumbed to myocarditis, a severe complication of the infection, on March 6.
Health officials identified 34 close contacts, with 14 developing symptoms. Of these, 12 were admitted for treatment and are recovering.
The government has begun strengthening infection prevention measures at the school and plans a targeted vaccination campaign for students and healthcare workers.
Abayomi emphasized the importance of hygiene, early detection, and vaccination to prevent further infections.
The state has 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccine ready for deployment in high-risk areas.
The Emergency Operations Centre will meet daily to assess and respond to the situation.
Health authorities, including WHO, NCDC, and NPHCDA, are collaborating with the Lagos State Government to curb the outbreak and protect residents.
Members of the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, at the University College Hospital, UCH, in Ibadan have embarked on an indefinite strike, an official said on Monday.
The Association’s General Secretary, Dr. Uthman Adedeji, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Ibadan that the strike was due to power outages in some of the hospital’s residential areas.
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, reconnected UCH on Wednesday after more than 100 days of power outage.
The association had earlier issued a communique stating that members would embark on an indefinite strike if electricity was not restored by 4 p.m. on Monday.
Adedeji said that while electricity had been restored, only some parts of the residential quarters were reconnected.
“Arising from the just-concluded Emergency General Meeting, EGM, of ARD UCH, which was convened to appraise the current situation, it was observed that part of the residential quarters was reconnected. Some other parts were, however, left in darkness.
“In light of the prevailing circumstance, we are left with no other option than to embark on the earlier planned total and indefinite strike until all residential quarters are sorted (taken care of).
“We acknowledge the efforts of the UCH Management towards meeting our demand, but a lot needs to be done in order to guarantee uninterrupted service delivery.”
Adedeji assured that the association would regularly review the current imbroglio infringing on the welfare of its members.
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