Kwara NMA Rejects Reviewed Medical Allowances

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Kwara State, on Monday, rejected the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’s (NSIWC) review of allowances for medical and dental officers in the federal public service.

The state chairman of NMA, Professor AbdulRahman Afolabi made the rejection known at a news conference in Ilorin, the state capital.

“The NMA Kwara State branch strongly condemns and rejects the NSIWC circular dated June 27, 2025, regarding the review of allowances for medical and dental officers in federal public service.

“We also fully supports the 21-day ultimatum issued to the federal government to address all welfare issues affecting doctors in Nigeria,” Afolabi said.

He expressed concern over the implications of the circular, which he said, “attempts to adjust CONMESS but inadvertently or perhaps deliberately erodes relativity”.

Afolabi added that the development has also worsened workforce inequity, and threatened the already fragile medical workforce landscape in the country.

The Kwara NMA chairman also expressed the disappointment of the association at the NSIWC’s decision to disregard the collective bargaining agreement reached with the NMA in 2001, 2009 and 2014 .

He warned that the circular has the potential to undermine morale and productivity in an already overstretched health system.

Professor Afolabi observed that this can also accelerate brain drain, particularly among doctors and dentists, and worsen the doctor-to-patient ratio, which is currently 1:5,000, far below World Health Organisation’s recommended
1:600.

He noted that the development could spark industrial disharmony at a time when stability was desperately needed.

He, therefore reiterated the support of the local branch for the national body of NMA, in its rejection of the current Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) implementation.
“We demand immediate suspension of the circular, pending a stakeholder roundtable and call for restoration of relativity in line with agreements reached in previous reforms,” he said.