File photo: Defence Minister, Christopher Musa
The Ministry of Defence has dismissed reports alleging that House Officers and Interns at the Armed Forces Reference Hospitals have not been paid their allowances, describing the claims as inaccurate.
It confirmed that payment of outstanding arrears has already commenced, adding that the delay in payment was caused by the absence of budgetary allocation for the programme in the 2026 Appropriation Act, rather than any administrative failure.
The ministry’s clarification follows a viral video in which a House Officer at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Calabar, who identified himself only as Innocent, alleged that he and his colleagues had worked for about 290 days without receiving their salaries.
In the video, he claimed repeated efforts to resolve the issue were unsuccessful, alleging that their contact person at the ministry could not give a definite timeline for payment.
