Posted on: Mon 26-01-2026

Lingering Welfare Crisis, Systemic Injustice, and Threat to Healthcare Delivery at Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) hereby bring to the attention of the general public, the Government of Benue State, relevant authorities, and key stakeholders in Nigeria health sector, the grave and protracted welfare crisis currently confronting resident doctors at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi.

This press statement is issued pursuant to NARD's constitutional mandate to safeguard the welfare, training, and professional dignity of resident doctors nationwide, and avert a total breakdown of industrial harmony and healthcare delivery in Benue State.

 

Resident doctors at BSUTH have been compelled to embark on an industrial action since 1st November 2025, following the failure of the hospital management and the state government to pay 18 months' outstanding salary arrears, spanning June 2023 to November 2024, in addition to other unresolved welfare concerns. These arrears represent legitimate earnings for services already rendered and remain unpaid despite repeated engagements, formal correspondences, and assurances.

 

Rather than addressing the root causes of the dispute, the management of BSUTH has taken a series of administrative actions that have worsened tensions, deepened hardship, and eroded trust within the institution.

 

NARD notes with deep concern the following development at BSUTH

1. Issuance of eviction notices to resident doctors occupying staff quarters under the pretext of renovation, at a time when salary arrears remain unpaid, thereby compounding the hardship faced by already distressed doctors.

2. Severe and dehumanising salary deductions in the January 2026 payroll, resulting in shockingly low take-home pay, reportedly as little as N158.66 and N27,326.59 for a Senior Registrar I on CONMESS5/6. This level of financial deprivation is unacceptable and indefensible.

3. Suspension and disruption of postgraduate training accreditation processes, including in departments where due process had already commenced, undermining the core academic and clinical mandate of a teaching hospital.

4. Threats to terminate or truncate residency training on allegations of overstaying, without due consideration for systemic delays, manpower shortages, and prevailing national workforce challenges.

5. Selective and arbitrary payment of allowances, with payment limited to basic salary, hazard allowance, and accoutrement allowance, while other statutory and earned allowances were withheld without justification, as reflected in the January 2026 pay slips.

6. Issuance of an internal memo dated 13th January 2026 (Ref: BSUTH/MGT/IM/33/IV/80) directing the recovery of allowances allegedly paid in error for November and December 2025, even though many of these allowances are statutory components of resident doctors' remuneration.

7. Threatened application of the "No Work, No Pay" principle during a subsisting and unresolved labour dispute, further straining already fragile industrial relations.

 

In response to these developments, the leadership of NARD has resolved as follows:

1. To issue a formal open letter to the Executive Governor of Benue State, drawing urgent attention to the crisis at BSUT and requesting immediate executive intervention.

2. To escalate the matter the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), in view of the broader national implications of persistent welfare violations in state-owned tertiary health institutions.

3. To formally caution the Chief Medical Director of BSUTH to refrain from further actions capable of worsening the situation, as actions taken thus far have significantly aggravated the crisis, and to instead prioritise constructive engagement aimed at restoring stability and normalcy.

 

In view of the foregoing, NARD hereby demands:

1. Immediate and full restoration of all deducted allowances, with complete payment of all statutory and earned allowance due for January 2026.

2. Prompt settlement of the outstanding 18 months' salary arrears owed to resident doctors at BSUTH.

3. A clear and verifiable commitment by the BSUTH management to prioritise the welfare, remuneration, and retention of resident doctors.

4. Immediate reversal of all actions aimed at terminating or truncating the postgraduate training of resident doctors.

5. Decisive intervention by the Executive Governor of Benue State, including the declaration of a state of emergency at BSUTH if necessary, to fast-track resolution of this crisis. Failure to act may necessitate escalation beyond the state level, including coordinated protests by resident doctors in solidarity with their colleagues in Makurdi.

 

NARD assures its members nationwide that the Association remains steadfast, proactive and resolute in defending their welfare and training. The situation at BSUTH represents a critical test of governance, labour justice and commitment to healthcare development. NARD calls for urgent, humane, and decisive intervention to prevent further deterioration and to restore normalcy at the institution.

 

NARD will purse all lawful avenues of engagement, and the Association will not hesitate to take appropriate national actions, including coordinated national protests in the Benue State capital, other parts of the state, and Abuja should these injustices persist.

 

The Association remains open to dialogue, but unwavering in its obligation to protect its members.

 

Signed

Dr, Mohammad Usman Suleiman

President

 

Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim

Secretary General

 

Dr. Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim

Publicity and Social Secretary

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