Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has raised the alarm over a looming nationwide healthcare crisis, supporting the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and condemning the Federal Government for failing to honour prior agreements with the medical body.

In a statement on X on Sunday, Atiku described the situation as a betrayal of resident doctors, who he said should not have to “beg for what has already been agreed upon,” particularly the Professional Allowance Table previously signed by the government.

“The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors should not have to beg for entitlements already agreed. The Federal Government signed a deal and now wants to abandon it. This is not governance; it is betrayal,” Atiku said.

He warned that continued neglect of resident doctors—the backbone of Nigeria’s fragile healthcare system—could trigger a full-scale collapse of public hospitals.

“Our resident doctors are the last line of defence in hospitals that are already crumbling. They work gruelling hours, in impossible conditions, for pay that insults their sacrifice. And now, the government seeks to take away the little that was promised?” he asked.

Atiku highlighted several unresolved issues fueling tensions, including 19 months of unpaid Professional Allowance arrears, outstanding promotion arrears, and delays in releasing the Medical Residency Training Fund.

He further linked the ongoing brain drain in the health sector to leadership failures, insisting that the exodus of doctors should not be blamed on patriotism.

“Every doctor Nigeria loses to the UK, Canada, or Saudi Arabia is a failure of leadership, not patriotism. You cannot ask people to serve a nation that refuses to honour its own word,” he said.

The former vice president reiterated his backing for NARD, calling on the Federal Government to pay what it owes and honour its commitments to avert a potential nationwide shutdown of healthcare services.

“I stand with NARD. Pay what you owe. Honour what you signed. Or explain to over 200 million Nigerians why their hospitals will go dark,” Atiku warned.