News
Resident doctors vow to continue strike, patients groan
No work, no pay –Ngige
The National Association of Resident Doctors, on Friday, insisted that it would continue the ongoing nationwide strike until the Federal Government implements the terms of their agreement, including the payment of salary arrears and indemnity for their colleagues who died from COVID-19.
The resident doctors’ strike entered its second day on Friday.
The ARD President, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Dr Ifeanyin Ofuani, said patients were not being attended to because the strike was total.
Ofuani told the News Agency of Nigeria that, while no resident doctor would attend to any patient, whether emergency or otherwise, consultants were however on the ground to attend to emergency patients.
When reminded of a claim by the Federal Government that it had reached an agreement with the association, Ofuani refuted the claim, saying, “We have not reached any agreement with the Federal Government.
“They gave us another memorandum of understanding or action, whatever they call it, to sign and we are tired of that. We have been signing that since 2014 and up till today, they have not honoured any of the memoranda. We want action; we don’t want memoranda anymore.”
In Jalingo, Taraba State, the Federal Medical Centre and the State Specialist Hospital offered skeletal services. One of our correspondents observed that only emergency cases were being attended to at the State Specialist Hospital.
The ARD President in the hospital, Dr Gabriel Ahmed, told Saturday PUNCH, “We are complying with the strike and until we have a contrary directive from the national (leadership), we can’t do otherwise.”
At the FMC Jalingo, the ARD President, Dr Divine Njadze, told one of our correspondents in a telephone interview that doctors were complying with the strike, saying, “Only those on Consolidated Medical Salary Structure 6 and above as well as medical consultants and chief medical officers are offering skeletal services at the hospital.
“For us on CONMESS 5 and below, we are complying with the strike and until we hear from the national body, the strike will persist.”
Resident doctors in Katsina State also joined their colleagues in the nationwide strike, as one of our correspondents observed at the FMC and General hospital, Katsina.
The ARD President, Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, Dr Daniel Apollos, described the situation as unfortunate and urged the Federal Government to do the right thing.
The ARD Chairman, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife branch, Dr Simeon Kusoro, told Saturday PUNCH that total compliance was recorded in the hospital, adding that the hospital was “almost empty.”
The ARD President in Cross River, Dr Godwin Udoh, told Saturday PUNCH the strike was “total and indefinite.” Consultants, however, continued to attend to patients at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.
The resident doctors at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State also complied fully with the directive, saying consultant physicians were still at work attending to critical cases.
The Public Relations Officer, UCH, Mr Toye Akinrinlola, said, “All our emergency areas – accident and emergency, intensive care unit, children emergency and antenatal – are all working.
“The consultants, nurses, medical laboratory experts, pharmacists and other categories of medical personnel are at their duty posts. The management has been proactive.”
The Nasarawa State chapter of the association also joined the nationwide strike declared by its national body, according to its President, Dr Moses Joshua.
In Kaduna, activities at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria; Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, National Eye Centre, National Ear Care Centre were paralysed as a result of the strike.
According to the President of NARD at the National Ear Care Centre, Dr Magaji Auwal, “the hospital is on an indefinite strike as directed by the association.”
But resident doctors on the state government’s payroll were not affected as they were seen carrying out their normal activities unhindered.
The ARD Chairman, Kaduna State, Dr Umar Ikara, told one of our correspondents that its members declined to join the strike, saying their challenges were different from those of the national level of NARD.
Ikara said, “We held (a) meeting with our congress members and they were sceptical about joining the national strike, so we have reported the decision of our congress to the national body. Our members are not on strike.”
The University of Uyo Teaching hospital, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State is running emergency services only following the nationwide strike by resident doctors in Nigeria
Patients scramble for private hospitals
The son of a patient at the Accident and Emergency Unit in UBTH, Mr Charles Benjamin, lamented the hardship on his father occasioned by the strike.
Benjamin, who stated that his father was billed to undergo two surgical operations on Friday, said the senior citizen was in “severe pain.”
A member of staff of the hospital, who preferred anonymity, said many patients had been discharged since Wednesday before the strike commenced, adding that only patients with serious conditions were being attended to by consultants in the hospital.
Many relatives of patients at the hospital were seen in groups lamenting the situation brought by the strike.
The father of a patient in the paediatrics unit of FMC Jalingo, Mr Musa Garba, told one of our correspondents that he had to move his daughter out of the hospital because only nurses were attending to patients.
Mrs Linda Tanko of Donga Local Government Area of Taraba told Saturday PUNCH that she had to move her mother out of the State Specialist Hospital, Jalingo to a private hospital in the town because she could not get the attention of doctors.
Miss Charity Pius also told one of our correspondents that her father had not been attended to at FMC Jalingo for several hours, adding that she was contemplating moving him to a private hospital.
Checks at the Barau Dikko Specialists Hospital and Yusuf Dantsoho Hospital, Kaduna, showed that doctors were attending to patients. At the National Ear Care Centre, Kaduna, some doctors were carrying out skeletal services.
Checks by Saturday Punch showed that patients were being attended to in the clinics and emergency areas at the UCH, Oyo, though those who came for routine check-ups and some new cases were not welcomed.
“The minister @LabourMinNG should be held responsible for the lives that will be lost from the industrial dispute,” one of the tweets read.
The resident doctors noted that Ngige, a medical doctor, quit medicine for politics, and asked why the minister did not go into clinical medicine and remain impoverished.
The striking resident doctors also faulted the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for travelling to London for a routine medical check-up.
Other tweets read, “Mr Labour Minister @LabourMinNG, it’s a shame the President @MBuhari is going to England for a second opinion on routine medical check-up and the Nigerian masses are dying.
“Mr Labour Minister @LabourMinNG, what’s the clinical correlation between @Fmohnigeria and the ministry of environment as you said sanitation is part of the health budget?
“For clarity, no professor of medicine earns his wardrobe allowance @LabourMinNG. @nard_nigeria has listened carefully to the labour minister @LabourMinNG… we aren’t perturbed.
“We maintain our stand that nothing has been done. Health workers’ lives matter. We are tired of paperwork, implement your papers @LabourMinNG.”
Recall that Ngige had told The PUNCH on Thursday that the resident doctors acted in bad faith by proceeding on strike after an agreement the Federal Government signed with the association’s leadership earlier in the day.
The minister had threatened that if by the weekend the resident doctors remained adamant, their fate would be decided based on extant labour laws.
Nigige had said the government was surprised that the resident doctors could still proceed on their strike after agreements were reached on all their demands.
PUNCH
When the Enugu State House of Assembly adopted the report of its Special Committee on Land Matters and Disputes in 2024, many observers described it as a watershed moment in the long-running controversy surrounding the Centenary City land in Amechi and Obeagu communities.
The report attracted national attention because it tackled a dispute that had generated numerous court cases, allegations of intimidation, destruction of property, community unrest, and claims involving some of the most influential figures in the state.
For many residents of Amechi and Obeagu, the Assembly’s intervention provided the first official platform where their grievances appeared to receive impartial consideration. The committee’s findings were widely commended for their detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding the acquisition and development of over 1,097 hectares of ancestral land.
At the heart of the controversy was the allegation that Private Estates International West Africa Limited (PEIWA), operating under a development agreement with the Enugu State Government, relied on questionable documents to assert rights over vast portions of land originally linked to a proposed university project initiated during the administration of former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Jim Nwobodo.
After reviewing submissions from the parties, the Assembly committee identified several inconsistencies in documents connected with the acquisition process. Among its findings were concerns regarding the authenticity of a survey plan purportedly prepared for the “Permanent Site of Enugu State University of Science and Technology” in 1985, despite the fact that Enugu State had not yet been created at that time.
Controversial Enugu Centenary Land: A Daniel Has Come To Judgement
The committee also questioned the authenticity of signatures and official endorsements appearing on key documents, including survey records, gazette notices, and correspondences allegedly executed on behalf of traditional authorities in Amechi and Obeagu communities.
Based on these findings, the committee concluded that the host communities had established that they were not properly carried along in the acquisition process and recommended dialogue, compensation, government intervention, and a comprehensive audit of lands developed under the Centenary City project.
At the time, many hailed the report as evidence that the legislature was willing to confront powerful interests in defence of justice and accountability.
Two years later, events appear to have given fresh significance to those findings.
Today, Kingsley Eze, Chamberlin Mbachu and Private Estates International (W.A.) Limited are facing criminal charges before the Federal High Court, Enugu, in connection with the alleged forgery of a survey plan linked to the disputed acquisition of ancestral lands in Amechi and Obeagu communities.
According to the charge sheet in Charge No. FHC/EN/CR/84/2025, the defendants are accused of conspiring to forge a survey plan titled “Permanent Site of Enugu State University of Science and Technology” purportedly dated 1985.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants knowingly made or uttered the survey plan as a genuine document despite its alleged falsity. The offences are said to be punishable under relevant provisions of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The criminal charges have drawn renewed attention to the conclusions reached by the Enugu State House of Assembly in 2024, particularly its observations regarding inconsistencies surrounding the same survey plan and related acquisition documents.
The developments have also prompted further advocacy from civil society organisations. The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called on the Inspector-General of Police to direct the Police Monitoring Unit to take over investigations and prosecutions connected with the dispute, investigate allegations of misconduct against certain police officers, and review criminal proceedings allegedly used for harassment and intimidation.
In a separate petition dated May 28, 2026, RULAAC also urged the Inspector-General of Police to intervene in two criminal cases pending before the Federal High Court, Enugu, citing repeated failures by law enforcement authorities to produce defendants for arraignment.
The cases include Charge No. FHC/EN/CR/84/2025, IGP v. Kingsley Eze & 2 Others, and Charge No. FHC/EN/CR/222/2024, IGP v. Alex Ifeadi & 2 Others.
As the criminal proceedings continue, many observers believe the matter has entered a decisive phase. The allegations that were once the subject of community petitions, legislative inquiries and public debate are now before a court of law for determination.
Whether the Assembly’s 2024 report marked the beginning of accountability or merely one chapter in a much longer struggle remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the issues raised by the Amechi and Obeagu communities have not faded away. Instead, they have evolved into a legal test that could shape public confidence in land administration, governance and the rule of law in Enugu State for years to come.
If the legislative findings, criminal investigations and court proceedings ultimately converge on the truth, then many residents may indeed conclude that, at long last, a Daniel has come to judgment.
Son of the late head of state and former Minister of Defence, Chief Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, in a letter of remembrance and solidarity written on behalf of the Aguiyi-Ironsi family to the Fajuyi family, marking the 60th anniversary of his death, said July 29, 2026, will be a solemn occasion to honour a soldier they described as “a war hero who offered himself as a sacrificial lamb for the unity and integrity of the nation.”
The family recalled that Lt Col Fajuyi, then Military Governor of the Western Region, made the ultimate sacrifice in 1966 when mutinous soldiers abducted him alongside Maj Gen Aguiyi-Ironsi in Ibadan during the military counter-coup.
They stated that Fajuyi, in a defining moment of conscience, chose honour over personal safety and refused to abandon his guest and superior, a decision the family said reflected the highest ideals of loyalty, integrity, and military brotherhood.
According to the statement, his action transformed him into a national martyr whose legacy continued to inspire unity, courage, and selfless service.
The Aguiyi-Ironsi family also expressed sympathy with the Fajuyi family, acknowledging the enduring pain of their loss, while praying for continued strength, comfort, and peace.
The statement further stated, “He did not run. He did not hide. He chose to stand. In that sacrificial decision lay the essence of his greatness.”
The family called on government institutions, military authorities, and custodians of national memory to ensure sustained recognition and support for the Fajuyi family, stressing that his sacrifice remained a national responsibility to remember and honour.
It urged Nigerians to draw inspiration from his life and death, noting that his legacy continues to challenge the nation to uphold unity, courage, honour, and selfless service.
Fajuyi was killed on July 29, 1966, during the military counter-coup in Ibadan alongside Aguiyi-Ironsi.
By Okey Maduforo Awka
The emergence of Chief Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere as the Minority Leader of the Federal House of Representatives has been described as a vindication of the fact that the Action People’s Party (APP ) represents the collective interests of the Nigerian masses.
Recall that recently, Ugochinyere was elected as the Minority Leader of the party in a keenly contested election of the Federal House of Representatives.
According to a statement by the Chairman Anambra state chapter of the APP Chief Chijioke Okeke, Ugochinyere had been consistent in offering himself as the voice of the people and that of the voiceless.
“It did not come to us as a surprise that our great leader High Chief Ugochinyere became the Minority leader of the Federal House of Representatives because he has always been consistent and focus towards providing himself as the only vent for the masses at the Green Chambers”
“We know his pedegre as a politician as well as a leader and he has remained focus in ensuring that the voiceless are heard and this is also a vindication of our party’s unflinching desire to provide a veritable platform in a democratic process”
Okeke further stated that the fifth columnists who had attempted to deregister the party have been put to shame adding that the party shall continue to champion the interests of the Nigerian people.
“They made failed attempt at deregistering our great party but they lost sight of the fact that the APP is firmely rooted on ground and has all that it takes to drive the wishes and aspirations of the Nigerian populace and with this recent development our traducers have been put to shame and our party is on the path of further greatness “. Okeke noted .
By Okey Maduforo Awka
Six members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra IPOB have been declared wanted by the Nigerian Police .
The six persons led by Mr Chukwuebuka Ohaechesi, include Emma Okonkwo, Jude Uwa, Gentle Okoro, Uchenna Dike, and Emmanuel Nwankwo who are said to be at large.
The were said to have fled to neighboring states in the South East hence signaling the other four Police Commands in the geopolitical zone to assist in the manhunt for them
The Police accused them of executing protests against the detaintion of the leader of IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is currently serving jail terms in Sokoto Correction Center.
According to a statement issued by the Abia Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, ASP Eguavon Omokaro, the individuals are suspected members of IPOB who have allegedly participated in protests at various times and locations within the state.
The statement alleged that the protests were organised in connection with the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and demands for justice through the judicial process.
The Police Command further stated that these protests have allegedly resulted in breaches of peace and disruptions to law and order in Abia State. Consequently, the Police Intelligence Department reportedly concluded that the named individuals were among the principal organisers and coordinators of the demonstrations.
The statement further alleged that; ;
“It should be noted that on every 30th day of May, these men and their cohorts convene for the so-called remembrance of Biafra, holding clandestine meetings at various locations in the name of the emancipation of the Biafran Republic and the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
According to the police, the six individuals were invited on several occasions for questioning in relation to the allegations against them.
The statement indicated that the first invitation was issued on 18 December 2025, followed by a second invitation on 7 February 2026, and a third invitation on 3 March 2026.
The police alleged that the individuals failed to honour all three invitations.
The statement further asserted:
“These individuals were invited by the police on several occasions. Firstly, on 18 December 2025, they failed to honour the invitation. Again, they were invited on 7th February 2026 and failed to appear. Finally, they were invited on 3 March 2026, and they also failed to present themselves before the police.” It stated.
As a result, the Abia State Police Command announced that all six individuals had been formally declared wanted.
The police appealed to members of the public to provide any reliable information that could lead to their arrest and prosecution, stating that informants would be suitably rewarded.
The declaration of the six individuals as wanted persons is linked to allegations of their participation in pro-Biafra activities, demonstrations concerning the detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and their alleged association with IPOB, an organisation that has been the subject of extensive scrutiny and security operations by Nigerian authorities.
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