Lagos Doctors’ 3-Day Warning Strike Over Pay Cuts

Medical doctors employed by the Lagos State Government recently embarked on a three-day strike. The doctors, with the support of the Medical Guild in Lagos, declared that the strike, which commenced at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, July 28, 2025, will come to an end at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 31, 2025. The strike is intended to serve as a warning to the Lagos State Government over what the doctors have described as “illegal and disrespectful” salary deductions. 

The doctors claim that the strike is their last resort following unsuccessful attempts at dialogue with the relevant authorities. The issue traces back to April 2025, when the state government deducted the salaries of medical and dental practitioners from its payroll without prior consultation. Speaking at a press conference at the Guild’s secretariat in Lagos, Dr. Japhet Olugbogi, Chairman of the Medical Guild, explained that although the reductions were reversed after a “spirited intervention and strategic engagement.” The Guild has accused the Lagos State Treasury Office of breaching the agreement, citing the latest salary deductions in July. The Union is demanding an immediate reversal of the salary deductions and a full payment of the 12-month revised CONMESS arrears owed to honorary consultants at LASUTH. The Guild has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the State Government, warning that failure to meet their demands will result in an indefinite strike. 

While strikes are not new to Nigeria’s healthcare system, this incident highlights a deepening crisis and growing frustration among healthcare workers. Earlier this month, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) issued a 21-day ultimatum to withdraw the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’s (NSIWC) circular, dated June 27, 2025, on the review of allowances for medical and dental officers in the federal public service. This was circulated without completing the collective bargaining process between the NMA and the Federal government. Amid the ongoing brain drain in the Nigerian Medical Sector, it is expected that the government will focus on retaining the country’s existing medical professionals and improving working conditions. 

Expressing his frustrations about the decline of healthcare in the country, Dr. Olugbogi decried the current salary of senior doctors in Lagos State, revealing that “the most senior doctors in Lagos State do not earn up to $1,100.” An amount that translates to less than a million naira. Not only is the remuneration of medical practitioners in a dreadful state, but the current ratio of doctors to patients in Nigeria is also appalling. 

Although there are no strict recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the doctor-to-patient ratio, a 2019 WHO report suggests that any country with fewer than 10 doctors per 10,000 people could be termed as having an inadequate number of healthcare professionals.  As of 2022, the ratio in the country was one doctor for every 10,000 patients. To worsen the crisis, recent US aid cuts have further strained the system. In a U.S. embassy publication, it was stated that in 2023 alone, the US government invested over $600 million to boost Nigeria’s healthcare system. With the sector already facing numerous challenges, the aid cuts are expected to have both symbolic and significant impacts. 

Given these issues, foreign aid reductions, ongoing brain drain, poor working conditions, and a healthcare system that offers little appeal to professionals, Nigeria must urgently commit to developing sustainable, long-term solutions to reform and strengthen its healthcare sector.