The Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) has issued a strong call to the Federal Government to urgently address what it describes as a growing crisis in the country’s medical education sector, including a critical shortage of qualified academic personnel.
In a communiqué released after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on July 5, 2025, the association, led by its President, Professor Nosa Orhue, listed a wide range of grievances, including unpaid salaries, unimplemented pension benefits, and discriminatory wage policies affecting medical academics across Nigeria’s universities and health institutions.
Professor Orhue expressed deep concern over the dwindling number of medical and dental lecturers across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, warning that the shortage threatens the future of medical training and health care delivery in the country.
“There is an urgent need for the Federal Government to recruit and retain qualified academic staff in medical schools,” he stated. “The current manpower deficit is unsustainable and poses a risk to the quality of future healthcare professionals being trained.”
One of the key demands in the communiqué was the immediate payment of the withheld salaries of NAMDA members following the 2022 strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Professor Orhue clarified that NAMDA is not affiliated with ASUU and did not participate in the strike.
“Punishing NAMDA members for a strike they did not join is unfair and unlawful,” he said. “We demand the immediate release of all withheld salaries.”
NAMDA is also urging the National Universities Commission (NUC) to restructure the organization of medical degree programmes. Specifically, the association called for the separation of B.Sc. degree programmes in Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Biochemistry from the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences.
“This structural reform will ease the heavy workload on medical lecturers and improve the quality of instruction in these critical areas,” the association noted.
The communiqué also condemned the federal government’s failure to implement special pension benefits for hospital-based academics, including medical consultants, as provided for in Circular 1 of 1991 and Section 7(e) of the Pension Reform Act (2014).
NAMDA further lamented the non-implementation of full pension benefits for medical professors, which are guaranteed under the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 2012 and the Pension Reform Act of 2014.
On hazard allowances, NAMDA rejected what it termed a “discriminatory circular” that fails to reflect the risks associated with the profession. “Medical lecturers engage in both teaching and clinical duties — they face significant health hazards daily. It is unjust to exclude them from adequate hazard allowance provisions,” said Orhue.
The association accused the Federal Government of neglecting to pay seven months’ worth of arrears, which include:
- 25%/35% salary increments,
- Clinical duty allowances, and
- Accoutrement allowances.
It also demanded the immediate withdrawal of Circular No. SWC/S/04/S.218/III/646, issued on June 27, 2025, by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission. NAMDA insists the circular should be replaced with one that aligns with Collective Bargaining Agreements of 2001, 2009, and 2014.
Additionally, it called for a correction in the pay structure between the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), under which NAMDA members are paid.
In one of its boldest declarations yet, NAMDA demanded a minimum monthly salary of N3 million (approximately $2,000) for the lowest-paid medical academic in Nigeria. This demand mirrors the compensation reportedly being paid to Nigerian doctors deployed to St. Lucia under the Technical Aids Corps programme.
“If the Federal Government can pay N3 million to Nigerian doctors serving abroad, then it must show the same respect to the experts training future doctors at home,” Orhue said. “Our members deserve compensation that reflects their expertise, sacrifice, and the critical nature of their work.”
NAMDA’s statement is already sparking debate within the education and health sectors, with many calling on the government to prioritise the welfare of medical educators to stem the tide of brain drain and decline in healthcare standards.
As Nigeria grapples with health sector reforms and growing emigration of medical professionals, the association’s demands may become a defining moment for reshaping how the country values — and compensates — its medical academic workforce.