Doctors in Akwa Ibom are on the verge of a strike following ongoing disputes over unpaid salaries and poor working conditions at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO). The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the university’s management, demanding immediate action on issues affecting their members.
Speaking after an emergency meeting in Uyo, NMA chairman Dr. Aniekan Peter explained that despite multiple attempts to resolve the matter, negotiations with the university’s management, led by Vice Chancellor Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, have failed. As a result, the association is left with no choice but to take industrial action.
In a statement signed by Dr. Peter and the association’s assistant secretary, Dr. Unyime Ndoh, the NMA expressed frustration over the university’s alleged disregard for critical healthcare concerns and the well-being of medical professionals. They warned that continued neglect is driving doctors to seek opportunities abroad in countries like the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Saudi Arabia.
One of the key grievances is the failure to migrate university-employed medical doctors to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), despite approval from the UNIUYO Governing Council. According to Dr. Peter, arrears dating back to 2016 remain unpaid, unlike in other universities where this migration has already been implemented.
The association also highlighted the severe shortage of medical lecturers and health center staff at the university, leading to overwhelming workloads and excessive stress on the few available professionals. Additionally, delayed promotions and withheld salaries—particularly the three and a half months’ pay lost during the 2022 Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike—have further worsened morale among medical lecturers.
As part of their demands, the NMA is insisting on the immediate migration of medical lecturers to CONMESS, recruitment of additional medical staff, immediate promotion of eligible lecturers with full payment of arrears, and settlement of all outstanding salaries. The association has made it clear that if these demands are not met within the next 21 days, a full-scale strike will be inevitable.
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