More Labour Strikes Hit Benue Under Alia as Medical Lecturers Issue 21-Day Ultimatum
…Threaten Indefinite Strike Over Unpaid Allowances, Salary Disputes
Three medical academic associations at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) and the College of Health Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM), have issued a 21-day ultimatum to the university management to address what they described as lingering welfare and salary-related grievances or face an indefinite strike.
The ultimatum followed an emergency joint congress of the Nigerian Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), and the Association of Specialist Medical and Dental Academics (ASMeDA), held on Monday, June 29, 2026.
In a notice jointly signed by the chairmen of the three associations—Dr. Innocent Abi (NAMDA, MOAUM/BSUTH), Dr. Emmanuel Iwuozo (MDCAN, BSUTH), and Dr. Paul Beega (ASMeDA, CHS-MOAUM)—the ultimatum took effect from June 29 and is expected to expire on July 19, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
The associations accused the university management of abruptly stopping the payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to medically qualified academics, describing the move as unjust and detrimental to staff welfare.
They also alleged the continued failure to implement the approved Revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) since January 2026, despite official approval for its implementation.
Other grievances raised by the lecturers include the alleged payment of CONMESS-specific allowances to non-medically qualified lecturers on the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), non-remittance of statutory pension deductions to employees’ Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), and the payment of promotion arrears in instalments instead of full settlement.
The medical lecturers are demanding the immediate implementation of the Revised CONMESS salary structure, payment of 24 months of accrued CONMESS arrears, immediate suspension of CONMESS allowance payments to non-eligible staff, remittance of all outstanding pension deductions to PFAs, and full lump-sum payment of all outstanding promotion arrears.
They warned that failure by the university management to address the demands within the 21-day notice would trigger a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike action.
The associations noted that the strike notice was issued in the interest of industrial harmony, improved staff welfare, and the preservation of quality medical education in the state.
