Trending 
The Ministry of Defence has dismissed reports alleging that house officers and interns at armed forces reference hospitals have not been paid their allowances, describing the claims as inaccurate and confirming that payment of outstanding arrears has commenced.
The ministry’s clarification followed a viral video in which a house officer at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Calabar, identified only as Innocent, alleged that he and his colleagues had worked for about 290 days without receiving their salaries and that repeated efforts to resolve the issue had been unsuccessful.
However, in a statement on Monday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Richard Pheelangwah, said payments had been made in phases, while efforts were ongoing to clear the remaining arrears.
“Ministry of Defence has noted reports alleging the non-payment of allowances to House Officers and Interns at Armed Forces Reference Hospitals. These claims are inaccurate. Payment of outstanding allowances has commenced,” Pheelangwah said.
The ministry disclosed that a total of 703 house officers and interns were engaged under the 2025/2026 programme.
According to the ministry, the first tranche of payments was made on March 26, 2026, covering January and February allowances for Batches A and B. Another payment was made on April 30, 2026, for March allowances, while on July 8, 2026, payments were made for April allowances for Batches A and B, as well as for December 2025 and January 2026 allowances for Batch C.
The ministry said Batches A and B had now been paid up to April 2026, while Batch C, comprising 90 House Officers and Interns, had received allowances for December 2025 and January 2026.
It attributed the delay to the absence of budgetary allocation for the programme in the 2026 Appropriation Act, describing it as “an unprecedented development and the first occurrence since the inception of the programme.”
“The delay is attributable to the absence of budgetary allocation for the payment of these allowances since January 2026 and not to any administrative lapse on the part of the Ministry,” the statement said.
The ministry said it had formally notified the Budget Office of the Federation of the funding shortfall through official correspondence dated February 18, 2026, and July 1, 2026.
“For over four decades, the House Officers and Interns Programme has remained a statutory and strategic component of the Ministry’s healthcare system, contributing significantly to the training of medical professionals for the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the nation at large,” the ministry said.
“The Ministry remains fully committed to resolving the funding challenge and appreciates the patience, understanding, and dedication of the affected House Officers, Interns, and their families,” Pheelangwah said.
The ministry urged the public to disregard what it described as misleading reports and to rely only on official communications.
“Members of the public are advised to disregard misleading reports and rely only on official communications issued by the Ministry of Defence,” the statement added.
