LUTH Palava: Doctor Cries Out Over Five Months Unpaid Salary After NARD Strike

The prolonged non-payment of salaries to a senior medical officer at Lagos University Teaching Hospital has sparked growing concern within Nigeria’s medical community, with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) accusing the hospital management of victimising the doctor for participating in a nationwide strike organised by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The affected personnel, Dr Babatunde Omoteso, a Senior Medical Officer in the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department, said he has not been paid salaries for five months despite continuing to report for duty daily. For Omoteso, the dispute is no longer just an administrative issue. It has become a personal struggle marked by emotional distress, financial hardship and uncertainty. “I have a wife (partner), and I still commute to work regularly,” he said. “It has really affected my well-being, my mood is low, if not depressed, my finances is affected.” The doctor disclosed that colleagues have repeatedly assisted him with transportation, feeding and other daily expenses while he continues to work without pay. The ordeal, according to him, began after he joined the November 2025 nationwide strike declared by NARD over issues relating to doctors’ welfare, remuneration and working conditions. “I partook in NARD strike for better remuneration, welfare and work environment in November, 2025,” he said. “I’m part of NARD by constitution of NARD; National Association of Resident Doctors, and I do pay union dues removed from source since I started work in 2019.” According to Omoteso, the management of LUTH opposed medical officers in the Accident and Emergency Department participating in the strike because of the sensitive nature of the unit. “But LUTH management are against medical officers going on strike as we work in A&E,” he added. The crisis escalated after the hospital management issued Omoteso a formal query dated December 9, 2025, accusing him of being absent from duty without authorisation from November 11, 2025. In the letter signed on behalf of the Director of Administration, the hospital stated: “The Hospital Management has received a report of your absence from duty without authorisation since 11th November, 2025.” “Management is concerned about your absence since we did not receive any notification or sick leave report from you.” The management directed the doctor to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. In his response dated December 12, 2025, Omoteso rejected the allegation and maintained that he was participating in the officially declared NARD strike. “I am Dr Babatunde Wale Omoteso, a senior medical officer in Emergency medicine department. It is surprising to me about the report of my absence from duty as I was not on duty because I was on strike,” he wrote The doctor explained that no individual member of NARD issued separate notifications before participating in the industrial action because the union had already officially declared the strike. “No other member of the National Association of Residents Doctors (NARD) gave a separate notice of the strike, besides the notification of the National Association of Resident Doctors(NARD) concerning the strike,” he stated. He further argued that an agreement already existed between NARD and federal authorities protecting doctors who participated in the strike from punishment. “Also, a memorandum of understanding was signed between National Association of Resident Doctors(NARD) and concerned Federal government agencies that no member of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) who went on strike should be punished,” he added. Weeks later, Omoteso said the situation worsened when he discovered that his salary had stopped and his name was allegedly removed from payment records. In another letter dated January 23, 2026 and addressed to the Director of Administration through his department, the doctor stated that he had resumed work after the strike was suspended on November 29, 2025, but his salaries were still withheld. “I had since resumed after the strike was suspended on 29th November, 2025,” he wrote. “I had gone to the Finance Department to confirm my payment, and my IPPIS number is not on their records for payment of salary for January, 2026.” He said the development left him shocked because he had continued reporting to work regularly after the strike ended. “I have been coming to work since the suspension of the strike last year November, 2025, and I have not received my salary since December, and my IPPIS number is also not on the record to receive further salaries,” he stated. Omoteso also claimed he appeared to be the only affected member of the association within the institution. “No member of the association of Resident Doctors has their salaries stopped, as I am the only member in this institution affected,” he added. In the same letter, the doctor appealed to the management to urgently address the issue, warning that the prolonged salary stoppage was already affecting his mental health. Despite his explanations, the management of LUTH later issued him a “Letter of Serious Warning” dated January 29, 2026. The hospital said his response to the earlier query was “unsatisfactory” and accused him of “absence from duty without authorization despite verbal recall to duty by your Head of Department.” Management further described his action as a “Serious Misconduct” under Public Service Rules and warned that any future incident could attract stiffer penalties. The development drew criticism from the Nigerian Medical Association(NMA), which formally intervened through a protest letter addressed to the Chief Medical Director of LUTH on February 4, 2026. Signed by the Chairman of NMA Lagos State, Dr Saheed Babajide Kehinde, and the Secretary, Dr O.J. Hassan, the association described the withholding of Omoteso’s salaries as unjustifiable and contrary to established labour practices. The association stressed that November 11, 2025 — the date cited in the query — fell “squarely within the period of a duly declared nationwide strike action” by NARD. “Participation in the said industrial action was therefore not optional but obligatory in line with union directives,” the association stated. “Consequently his absence from work on that date cannot and should not constitute misconduct nor should it attract punitive administrative or financial sanctions.” The NMA warned that the action taken against the doctor could threaten industrial harmony within the institution. “The withholding of his salaries on this basis is unjustifiable, irregular and inconsistent with established labour practice and it poses a serious threat to industrial harmony within the institution,” the association added. “The Association views this action as punitive and capable of setting a dangerous precedent.” The union demanded the immediate payment of all outstanding salaries owed to Omoteso and warned that failure to resolve the matter could force it to pursue lawful measures to protect its member. But months after the intervention, Omoteso said the situation remains unresolved. According to him, he has repeatedly visited the hospital’s administrative offices and was told the issue had been restored on the system, yet no payment has been made. The doctor also expressed frustration that despite letters from the NMA and repeated complaints, he is still struggling to survive without his wages. Beyond the official correspondence and disciplinary letters, the prolonged salary stoppage has deeply affected his daily life. While continuing to work in one of the hospital’s busiest departments, Omoteso said he now depends heavily on the kindness and support of colleagues to get by. According to him, fellow doctors and co-workers have had to contribute money for his transportation and other daily expenses while he waits for the issue to be resolved. As the dispute lingers months after the intervention by the NMA, the case has continued to raise concerns within medical circles over labour rights, disciplinary measures and the welfare of healthcare workers participating in union-backed industrial actions within Nigeria’s public health institutions.