The minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has described “as a welcome development”, the court ruling at the National Industrial Court (NIC), compelling the resident doctors to end their three-week-old strike and resume their duty immediately.

Ngige also said the ruling would not prevent the federal government from implementing all agreements reached with the affected doctors as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the last meeting with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and affiliate associations.

In a statement by the spokesman of the ministry, Charles Akpan, Ngige said the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget Office of the Federation (BOF), Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHOCSF) and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages and Commission (NSIWC) have kick-started the implementation with timelines affixed.

Recall that NMA had led three doctors’ associations to the negotiation that lasted from 2 pm on Friday, August 20, 2021, to the early hours of Saturday, August 21, adjourning 2:am and later resumed by 2 pm and finally ending by 10:00 pm.