Nigerian doctors strike amid coronavirus pandemic

Doctors in the Nigerian capital of Abuja have gone on strike indefinitely over delayed pay and unsafe working conditions. 

The news comes just after the country confirmed its third case of the coronavirus.

The president of the doctors’ association in Abuja, Roland Aigbovo, said it was a “difficult decision” but that it was necessary as members had not been paid their salaries for two months, despite repeated “warnings and ultimatums”. 

Mr Aigbovo added that other health workers in government-run hospitals had also been affected by the pay dispute and would be joining the strike in two days if their demands were not met. 

The pay problems stem from a new payroll system which was introduced by the authorities in Abuja. 

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, reported the first sub-Saharan case of coronavirus in February. 

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