The Ministry of Defence has dismissed claims that House Officers and Interns at the Armed Forces Reference Hospitals have been abandoned without payment, attributing the delay in their allowances to a funding gap in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The ministry said payment of the outstanding allowances had already begun and stressed that the delay was caused by the absence of budgetary provisions for the programme, not administrative negligence.
The clarification follows a viral video in which a House Officer at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Calabar, identified simply as Innocent, alleged that he and his colleagues had worked for about 290 days without receiving their allowances.
He claimed repeated efforts to resolve the issue yielded no results and said the prolonged delay had placed affected House Officers and Interns under severe financial and emotional strain.
However, in a statement issued on Monday, July 13, 2026, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Richard Pheelangwah, said payments were being made in phases while efforts continued to clear the remaining arrears as more funds became available.
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 followed on April 30, covering March allowances for the same batches, while payments made on July 8 covered April allowances for Batches A and B, as well as December 2025 and January 2026 allowances for Batch C.
The ministry explained that the outstanding arrears resulted from the omission of the House Officers and Interns Programme from the 2026 budget.
It disclosed that it had formally notified the Budget Office of the Federation of the funding shortfall through official correspondence dated February 18 and July 1, 2026, requesting urgent intervention.
The ministry said a total of 703 House Officers and Interns were engaged under the 2025/2026 programme, noting that Batches A and B had now been paid up to April 2026, while Batch C had received allowances for December 2025 and January 2026.
Describing the situation as unprecedented, the ministry said it was the first time in more than four decades that no budgetary allocation had been made for the programme.
It added that the House Officers and Interns Programme has remained a key component of the military healthcare system for over 40 years, contributing to the training of medical professionals for both the Armed Forces and the country.
The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the funding challenge and appealed to the affected medical personnel and their families for continued patience and understanding.
It also urged the public to disregard what it described as misleading reports and rely only on official communications regarding the matter.
