Wike responds to doctors’ strike in FCT, says grievances are being addressed lawfully and N25bn budget has been allocated for health capital projects in 2025.
Wike responds to doctors’ strike in FCT, stating that the grievances raised by striking resident doctors over unpaid salaries and poor staffing are being addressed in line with due administrative procedure.
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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, made the remarks on Thursday while inaugurating a new road project in Abuja.
His comments come just days after resident doctors in the FCT began an indefinite strike, citing over six months of unpaid salaries, critical manpower shortages, and backlog of allowances.
“We lost our Head of Service; we just appointed an acting Head of Service,” Wike explained.
“If the Permanent Secretary for Treasury brings their bill now, why will I hold it? They will be paid. Everything has a procedure.”
Wike acknowledged the doctors’ right to protest but cautioned against politicising their demands. He reiterated that the administration was not ignoring the health sector, despite allegations to the contrary.
According to Wike, the Department of State Services (DSS) had notified him of a planned demonstration by the doctors.
“They said we are paying attention to roads, not health. Demonstration is allowed everywhere, but no one will blackmail me into making rash decisions,” he said firmly.
He warned against the growing trend of what he called “blackmail culture” in Nigeria, contrasting it with professional norms observed globally.
“Nobody will stop me from doing what I think is right,” Wike asserted.
Wike further revealed that the 2025 capital budget has made “unprecedented” allocations to healthcare, with ₦25 billion earmarked specifically for capital projects in the health sector.
“That figure should lay to rest any idea that the FCT is neglecting health in favour of infrastructure,” he said.
Despite the strike, the minister maintained that the civil service structure must operate within lawful bounds.
“Demonstration and strike are democratic rights, and I am not opposed to them,” he said. “But due process must be followed in the interest of the territory.”
The indefinite strike declared by the Association of Resident Doctors in the FCT began on Monday, paralysing services across key public hospitals.
Doctors are demanding payment of withheld salaries, hazard allowances, and urgent recruitment to ease pressure on understaffed units.
The administration’s ability to resolve the impasse may impact broader public perception, particularly given that the strike coincides with renewed infrastructure spending in the territory.
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With tensions building and doctors threatening to protest at the gates of the FCT Administration, stakeholders are watching closely to see how swiftly the issue is resolved through what Wike insists will be a lawful process.
