The workers, who were asked to resign from their previous appointment for the one-year renewable contract job, told SaharaReporters that doctors are being paid N45,000 while over 80 percent have not been paid a dime since their posting in July 2023, contrary to the contract engagement entered with them.

No fewer than 2000 health workers including doctors, nurses, midwives, and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWS) engaged by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for the expanded Midwives Service Scheme (eMSS) across the country have decried the non-payment of their salaries and allowances since July 2023.

The workers, who were asked to resign from their previous appointment for the one-year renewable contract job, told SaharaReporters that doctors are being paid N45,000 while over 80 percent have not been paid a dime since their posting in July 2023, contrary to the contract engagement entered with them.

According to the workers, NPHCDA Nigeria's domestic development agency for health and a management consulting firm, Sydani Group engaged over 2000 health workers across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to manage maternal and child health plus family planning on 774 Primary Health Care (PHC) across the federation for the one-year renewable contract.

"The staff have been working since July 2023 in remote areas up till now, no salaries and no allowances," one of the affected staff told SaharaReporters, adding that they are crying in pain, even as he insisted that funds for the payment were budgeted and released to NPHCDA.

The staff who spoke on condition of anonymity, wondered why NPHCDA management had refused to pay them and instead given them all manner of excuses.

Another affected worker who didn't want his name mentioned, also told SaharaReporters that the management of NPHCDA paid some selected individuals only two months, after the first media reports on the non-payment of their wages.

"Over 80% of us are yet to receive a dime," he lamented, adding that "We communicated to the official channel but they have given us fake promises after which they remained unresponsive to our persistent issues regarding our monthly payment as contained in the contract.

"We are calling them out in the media because we have no option. We exhausted all possible means to get the management to pay our overdue salary but to no avail."

"At the end of September, they selected like two to three persons in each state and paid them two months arrears. When we complained, they said the majority who didn't receive in each state is because of bank details issues. They sent us the Google form to fill correct account details with our data. We did it but the problem persisted.

"Even in November, they sent us a form to fill regarding our payment issues and over 800 persons with payment issues filled the form, but up till now no payment has been made. We are now in December we haven't received a dime yet. These 800 persons are the final compilation given to them in November but as we speak they are still giving us different excuses but no actions.

"How can you recruit health workers to work in remote settings, managing maternal and child health a sensitive health intervention to boost the overall health of Nigerians but you left those professionals with no payment for about five months, not responding to the issues, blaming us with wrong account details, which we have continued to fill and sending to them many times? Is there sympathy here?

"We spent transport and feeding fees daily to and fro from a working environment. Their previous payment sir is random with no criterion at all. The payment is fragmented - many never received anything up to now, some received one month only, some received 2 months, some received 3 months," he lamented.
When SaharaReporters contacted Dr. Chinenye Akukalia, the National Coordinator of the affected health workers, she confirmed the unfortunate development, regretting that even doctors among them are paid N45,000 contrary to N220,000 in their engagement paper.

When asked what is the problem, Akukalia said that they were really confused, "It is looking like child's play," adding that when they asked what the problem is "they will tell us to fill forms after forms, that they're going to rectify it but they are not rectifying anything. They have not paid some persons from August, while some persons they paid, only paid two months. Others are underpaying for instance my October and November they are paying me N45,000 as a medical doctor instead of N220,000.

"This is coming even after we filled in the details they asked us to fill in about people who have payment issues. It is just like they are using us to play and everybody is fed up. They can't be using us, we are professionals. From August and then when you want to pay you pay randomly and you underpay some persons. It is very unfair," she lamented.

When contacted, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina, admitted owning the workers, which attributed to some challenges associated with fresh employment.
Giving some reasons associated with the delay in payment of Expanded Midwives Service Scheme health worker salaries, the ED said, "NPHCDA profoundly appreciate the concerns you have shown over the delay in the payment of the salaries of some health workers (Skilled Birth Attendants – SBA) who the Agency recently employed under the Expanded Midwives Service Scheme (eMSS).

"The federal government has continued to make payments of the said salary, with three-month arrears. We know that the workers have begun to receive payments of outstanding salaries for August, September, and October. Of the 124 Doctors, 1200 Nurses/Midwives, and 687 Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWS) who have resumed, 69% have been paid for August, 82% and 80% for September and October respectively.

"The remaining few have not been paid either due to banking details inconsistencies or not yet been cleared to have worked by our audit processes. We will continue to pay them as they get cleared and will commence the November payment once clearance is obtained from our audit team. Those yet to receive theirs are advised to exercise a little patience and check with their banks as payments are still ongoing. 

"The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency remains committed to promoting the health of Nigerians, and we recognise the value of health workers in this cause. We will ensure that such delays are avoided in the future and ensure rewards for all hard-working PHC health workers. "