Nigeria: Defence ministry explains delay in interns’ allowances
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria
The Ministry of Defence has explained that the delay in paying allowances to House Officers and Interns at Armed Forces Reference Hospitals was caused by a funding gap, not administrative negligence.
The clarification follows a viral video in which a House Officer at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital in Calabar claimed that he and his colleagues had worked for about 290 days without receiving their salaries. He said repeated attempts to get answers from the ministry had yielded no clear timeline for payment and described the situation as financially and emotionally difficult for the affected medical personnel.
Responding to the claims, the ministry said the reports were misleading, noting that payments of outstanding allowances had already begun and were being made in phases.
According to the ministry, the first batch of payments was made on March 26, 2026, covering January and February allowances for Batches A and B. Another payment followed on April 30 for March allowances, while a third payment made on July 8 covered April allowances for Batches A and B, as well as December 2025 and January 2026 allowances for Batch C.
The ministry explained that the delay resulted from the absence of a budgetary allocation for the House Officers and Interns Programme in the 2026 Appropriation Act. It said it had formally notified the Budget Office of the Federation about the funding challenge and requested urgent intervention to address the shortfall.
A total of 703 House Officers and Interns are enrolled in the 2025/2026 programme. The ministry stated that Batches A and B have now been paid up to April 2026, while Batch C, consisting of 90 participants, has received allowances for December 2025 and January 2026.
Describing the funding issue as an unprecedented situation, the ministry noted that this was the first time in more than four decades that the programme had faced such a challenge due to the absence of budgetary provision.
It also reaffirmed the importance of the House Officers and Interns Programme, saying it has played a key role in training medical professionals for both the Armed Forces and the country for over 40 years.
The ministry assured affected House Officers and Interns that it remains committed to resolving the outstanding payments and thanked them and their families for their patience and dedication. It also advised the public to rely only on official updates regarding the matter.
