According to the doctors, they haven’t been paid their allowances since June 2020.

In an internal memo made exclusively available to newsmen and signed by Dr. Mustapha Ibrahim, who is the General Secretary, Association of Resident Doctors of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the doctors say the decision to down tools was arrived at during their last meeting of Friday, August 28, 2020.

“This is to inform you that we will be embarking on an indefinite strike with effect from 8  is on Tuesday, 1st September 2020, following the decision of the EGM dated Friday, 28th August 2020.

“This is for our information and further necessary action please,” the memo reads.

One doctor told newsmen last week that “we have been fighting to have them pay our daily inducement allowances which are N50,000 for doctors, N30,000 for nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists; and N20,000 for hygienists (cleaners) since June.”

Another doctor who craved anonymity for this story said; “We have not received any payment for COVID-19 inducement allowances for those working at the treatment and isolation centers or hazard allowances for those working in the hospitals.”

All healthcare workers at all the COVID-19 isolation centers in Abuja haven’t been paid for three months, newsmen have reliably gathered.

Abuja has recorded the most COVID-19 cases in Nigeria after the commercial capital city of Lagos.