MDCAN Southwest Issues 21-Day Deadline to Universities Over Unpaid CONMESS Salaries
The South-West zone of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), which includes Edo State, has issued a 21-day deadline starting from January 13, 2025, to universities in the region to begin paying the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) to clinical lecturers.
In a statement released after a zonal meeting, which was signed jointly by the association’s chairman, Dr. Abdulkareem Salawu, and secretary, Dr. Omotola Obajolowo, MDCAN expressed its frustration over the prolonged denial of CONMESS salaries to clinical lecturers in universities throughout the region.
MDCAN condemned the use of the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) instead of the CONMESS scale, which has been approved for medical and dental officers since 2008.
The association highlighted that this situation has caused significant salary shortfalls, lowered pension contributions, and had negative impacts on the recruitment and retention of clinical lecturers.
It further stated that these issues have threatened the training of medical doctors and healthcare professionals in the region.
The association noted that university managements in the Southwest have been unresponsive despite several representations supported by official circulars.
MDCAN is demanding the immediate adjustment of clinical lecturers’ salaries to align with the CONMESS scale and the payment of four years’ worth of arrears to address what it perceives as an injustice.
The association warned that failure to meet these demands within the 21-day deadline could lead to a full-scale industrial action.
MDCAN is also calling for the urgent intervention of Vice Chancellors, Pro-Chancellors, and other relevant stakeholders to prevent a looming crisis in the region’s universities.
