Medical and dental schools across the South-West region have begun the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for members of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), following the suspension of an indefinite strike.
MDCAN members in the region had embarked on a strike in February over the non-payment of CONMESS by several institutions. However, the industrial action was called off after a series of negotiations and interventions from key stakeholders.
Speaking to PUNCH Online on Sunday, the Chairman of MDCAN in the South-West, Dr. AbdulKareem Salawu, confirmed that several federal institutions had commenced the payment process.
“Some of the schools have started paying, while a few are yet to begin. For instance, the University of Lagos, the University of Ibadan, and Obafemi Awolowo University have commenced payment,” Dr. Salawu said.
He explained that Obafemi Awolowo University had begun disbursing the basic components of the salary and had committed to clearing outstanding arrears once funds are made available.
However, two state-owned universities — Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Oyo State and Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun State — are still lagging behind. According to Dr. Salawu, both institutions have given assurances that payment would commence soon.
“Both OOU and LAUTECH have made strong commitments to begin payment soon, and we’re making significant progress,” he stated.
The decision to suspend the strike, Dr. Salawu explained, came after intense dialogue involving the association, university authorities, and relevant government agencies, including the Ministries of Labour and Employment, and Education.
“We had an agreement with the school management before resuming. Medical elders intervened, and we engaged with the government. These discussions eventually led to a resolution,” he said.
He defended the strike as a necessary step to prevent the migration of qualified medical educators to better-paying institutions or overseas.
“If we hadn’t gone on strike, our teaching staff might have moved to institutions where CONMESS is paid or even gone abroad,” he warned.
On the impact of the strike on academic activities, Dr. Salawu admitted that there were disruptions but assured that the academic calendar would not be compromised.
“Yes, there were disruptions, but we have structured medical education to recover. Unlike conventional universities, medical training requires a minimum number of weeks, particularly in preclinical studies, which must cover at least 40 weeks,” he said.
“We can’t compromise on medical education. If we had already completed 10 weeks before the strike, we would still need to complete the remaining 30 weeks. It’s non-negotiable. The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria won’t accept anything less. We’re dealing with human lives, so training must be thorough.”
