Defence Ministry Blames Unpaid House Officers’ Allowances On Lack Of 2026 Budget Provision

Ministry of Defence has explained that the non payments of allowances to house officers and Interns attached to Armed Forces Reference Hospitals nationwide is due to non budgetary allocation in 2026.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mr Richard Pheelangwah gave the explanation in a statement he personally signed on Monday.

This followed a viral video of Dr. Innocent who said he was a house officer with Nigerian Navy reference hospital Calabar alleging that he has been working for 290 days without any allowance or explanation.
However, the Permanent Secretary said the claims were inaccurate.

He revealed that a total of 703 House Officers and Interns were engaged for the 2025/2026 House Officers and Interns Programme.
He said Batches A and B have been paid up to April 2026, while Batch C, comprising 90 House Officers and Interns, has been paid allowances for December 2025 and January 2026.

According to him, payment of outstanding allowances has commenced as follows: 26th March, 2026: Batches A and B – January and February 2026 Allowances. 30th April, 2026: Batches A and B – March 2026 Allowances.
8th July, 2026: Batches A and B – April 2026 Allowances; Batch C – December 2025 and January 2026 Allowances.

He said efforts were ongoing to clear the remaining arrears as additional funds become available.

“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,”.
He stated further that the Ministry had formally drawn the attention of the Budget Office of the Federation to the funding shortfall through its correspondence (Refs: AZ/150CON/I/42 dated 18 February 2026 and AZ/150CON/I/53 dated 1 July 2026) and requested the necessary intervention.

He reaffirmed, “The outstanding arrears arose because no budgetary provision was made for the House Officers and Interns Programme in the 2026 Appropriation Act. This is an unprecedented development and the first occurrence since the inception of the programme.”

He emphasised that 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.

He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to resolving the funding challenge and appreciates the patience, understanding, and dedication of the affected House Officers, Interns, and their families.

He, therefore, urged members of the public to disregard misleading reports and rely only on official communications issued by the Ministry of Defence.