While robotic surgery is advancing rapidly, experts warn that medicine cannot function without human judgement, accountability and ethical responsibility.
Watch video below:
– President Tinubu Orders Immediate Action to Restore Services
– Minister Sets Up Taskforce to Monitor Hospitals
The Federal Government has expressed deep concern over the ongoing strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), assuring Nigerians that concrete steps are being taken to end the industrial action and restore normal services across public hospitals.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the ministry to take all legitimate measures to ensure resident doctors return to their duty posts without delay.
Dr. Salako tendered an unreserved apology to Nigerians affected by the disruption of medical services, emphasizing that the government remains committed to protecting citizens’ access to healthcare.
“On behalf of myself, the Coordinating Minister, and all top management staff of the ministry, I want to express our regret and unconditional apology to Nigerians, especially those who needed to access healthcare in the last 48 hours,” Salako stated.
“The President has expressly directed that we do everything possible and legitimate to ensure resident doctors are brought back to their duty posts as soon as possible.”
On the government’s ongoing efforts, the minister disclosed that the government has been engaging NARD and other health unions through the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) mechanism, inaugurated in August 2025, to address outstanding issues around wages, allowances, and working conditions.
He explained that two major areas of disagreement, salary relativity and consultant cadre appointments, are being reviewed by an independent industrial relations expert, with an interim report already submitted.
“We are not sitting idly. The government has addressed most of the 19 issues raised by the resident doctors,” he said. “We are taking our time to ensure whatever agreement we reach is sustainable and fair to all health workers.”
Addressing the staff shortages and welfare measures, responding to complaints about manpower shortages and work overload; Dr. Salako revealed that the ministry had recruited 14,444 health workers in 2024 and had already approved the employment of 23,059 more in 2025, across 78 federal tertiary health institutions.
He also announced the establishment of a ministerial taskforce to monitor hospital operations during the strike and ensure continuity of essential services.
“Consultants have been directed to maintain emergency and outpatient services,” Salako said. “We appeal to the public to be patient as we work towards resolving this crisis.”
Speaking on the financial commitments and allowance, the Minister disclosed that the government had released ₦21.3 billion to settle outstanding arrears and allowances, with about 60% of resident doctors already receiving payment alerts. An additional ₦11.9 billion has been processed for payment this week.
He further noted that ₦10 billion was earlier disbursed exclusively for the Medical Residency Training Fund, which supports doctors’ professional examinations.
Appealing for calm and cooperation, Dr. Salako appealed to striking resident doctors to return to work in good faith, emphasizing that the government recognizes their invaluable service and is committed to their welfare.
“If it were possible, we would pay our doctors ₦50 million monthly, because no one can truly compensate for a health worker’s service,” he noted. “But we must operate within the economic realities of the country.”
He reaffirmed that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would continue to engage all parties constructively to reach a lasting and fair resolution.
“The health sector is a team,” the minister concluded. “What affects one group affects all. Our goal is a unified, functional system that delivers quality care to Nigerians.”
Also speaking, clarifying the Medical & Dental Council of Nigeria issue, Dr. Abdu Enejo, Deputy Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), clarified that there had been no “downgrading” of membership certificates from the West African College of Physicians and Surgeons, but rather a categorization of qualifications in line with regulatory standards.
“There has been no downgrade. What we have is categorization based on specialty and institution. Any wrongly classified qualification can be resubmitted for correction,” Enejo explained.
Assuring service continuity, in his remarks, Dr. Yahaya Adamu, Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, assured that consultants and key staff across federal hospitals are sustaining emergency and critical services despite the strike.
“Our emergency units and theatres remain open. We urge the public to come forward for urgent care when necessary,” Adamu said.
Wife of former Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu returns home following custodial sentence, while her husband remains imprisoned in UK.
The wife of former Nigerian Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Beatrice, has returned to Nigeria after being released from a prison in the United Kingdom.
Her arrival in the country on Tuesday, January 21, 2026, followed the completion of the custodial portion of her sentence for her role in a high-profile organ-harvesting conspiracy.
Mrs Ekweremadu was received by family members and close associates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, marking her first time on Nigerian soil since the legal saga began in mid-2022.
While her return has sparked celebrations in her hometown of Mpu, in the Aninri Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, it came amid the continued incarceration of her husband in London.
The return of the former Deputy Senate President’s wife followed her May 2023 conviction by the Old Bailey in London.
She was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for conspiring to facilitate the travel of a 21-year-old Lagos Street trader to the UK for the purpose of harvesting his kidney.
The organ was intended for the couple’s daughter, Sonia, who suffered from a chronic kidney condition.
The case, which was prosecuted under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015, marked the first time the legislation was used in a human organ-harvesting prosecution.
Under UK law, non-violent offenders are typically eligible for release on license after serving half of their custodial term.
Reports indicated that Mrs. Ekweremadu’s release was further facilitated by her good conduct record and by a broader UK government initiative to address severe prison overcrowding.
Despite his wife’s return, Senator Ekweremadu remains in a UK correctional facility serving a significantly longer sentence.
In May 2023, the former lawmaker was handed a nine-year and eight-month term, as the court deemed him the primary driver of the conspiracy.
Efforts by the Nigerian federal government to secure his release or repatriation have so far been unsuccessful.
In late 2025, a high-powered diplomatic delegation visited London to explore a Prisoner Transfer Agreement (PTA) that would allow the Senator to serve the remainder of his term in a Nigerian facility.
However, the UK Home Office reportedly rejected the proposal in November 2025, citing concerns over the guarantee of the sentence’s continued enforcement if transferred to the Nigerian jurisdiction.
The third convict in the case, Dr. Obinna Obeta, who was described by the prosecution as the medical “middleman,” continues to serve a 10-year prison sentence in the UK.
Meanwhile, the couple’s daughter, Sonia, who was cleared of all criminal charges during the 2023 trial, remains in the United Kingdom, where she is reportedly receiving ongoing medical treatment for her condition.
Elon Musk has asserted that medical degrees may soon become obsolete, as AI-powered robots are expected to surpass human surgeons in performance.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO claimed that humanoid robots like Tesla’s Optimus will outperform the world’s best surgeons within three years.
Speaking on the Moonshots podcast hosted by Peter Diamandis, Musk argued that human doctors are slow to train, prone to error, and fundamentally limited.
“Right now there’s a shortage of doctors and great surgeons,” Musk said.
“[It takes] a super long time to learn how to be a good doctor Doctors have limited time, they make mistakes. How many great surgeons are there? Not that many,” he added.
“So don’t go to medical school?” Diamandis asked Musk.
While robotic surgery is advancing rapidly, experts warn that medicine cannot function without human judgement, accountability and ethical responsibility.
Watch video below:

In a recent development, the ongoing controversy surrounding Ayo Labinjoh, the mother of Anu and Afrobeats superstar, Davido, over partenity dispute has intensified.
It’s worth noting that Ayo Labinjoh and Davido have been in the headlines over paternity dispute, with the singer claiming five DNA tests yielded negative results
In a fresh Instagram post, Ayo shared an existing DNA test result contradicting Davido’s earlier claim.
She emphasized that the DNA test result was valid, while investigative journalist, Kemi Olunloyo has fought vigorously for her daughter.
Her post reads,“The ONLY DNA TEST Fake
No swab, just bl00d
Not 2, Not 5.We still haven’t seen David post today online and in newspapers”.
Meanwhile, Davido has revealed that his father, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, played a significant role amid his paternity dispute with Ayo Labinjoh.
In a recent tweet on X (formely Twitter), the ‘Feel’ crooner shared that his father insisted that he undergo DNA test.
“You guys don’t know my father..He’s even the one that forced me to go. Adeleke’s we don’t play about Blood on this side”, The tweet reads.
Meanwhile, Cubana Chief Priest’s alleged baby mama, Helen Atti, has weighed in on Davido’s paternity dispute.
She took to the singer’s comment section, writing, “Please just help her, you can still adopt her, it doesn’t mean anything. I know you love children a lot, not like Pascal Okechukwu, big belle for no reason”.
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