By Ehigimetor Igbaugba
Calabar, Jan. 10, 2026
In a pivotal declaration that could shape the future of healthcare in Nigeria, Professor Ofem Enang, a Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Calabar, has formally unveiled an ambitious and detailed plan to reform the nation’s beleaguered medical profession. Announcing his candidacy for the presidency of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Enang presented his blueprint, “Renaissance 2026 – The Rebirth of Excellence,” to doctors in Calabar, framing it as a critical intervention for a system at its breaking point.
“The deepening crisis facing Nigerian doctors is not a failure of individuals but of systems,” Enang stated, diagnosing a profession battered by a quintuple threat: catastrophic welfare, pervasive insecurity, a debilitating brain drain, eroded real earnings, and a history of broken government agreements. He argued that only “bold, united, and reform-driven leadership” could reverse this decline.
The Five Pillars of Renaissance 2026: A Deep Dive
Enang’s reform agenda is structured around five interconnected pillars, with doctors’ welfare positioned as the foundational bedrock.
1. Welfare as Foundation: Moving beyond rhetoric, Enang vowed to work directly with the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to resolve concrete, long-festering issues. This includes clearing salary arrears and promotion backlogs, legislating against unsafe, exploitative work hours, correcting allowance distortions, and ensuring the full implementation of all collective bargaining agreements. He contextualized this as essential for stemming the tide of emigration, noting that competitive remuneration and decent working conditions are non-negotiable for retention.
2. Safety and Dignity: In a powerful statement, Enang declared “zero tolerance for assault, kidnapping, or killing of doctors.” He linked the safety of healthcare workers directly to national security, asserting, “A country that cannot protect its healthcare workers cannot protect its people.” This pledge follows recent, high-profile attacks on doctors in Edo and Enugu states, which Enang cited as evidence of a worsening national crisis.
3. Economic Security and Exit Pathways: Acknowledging that financial anxiety extends beyond monthly pay, Enang proposed systemic solutions to housing and retirement—two major pain points. He promised to advocate for national mortgage schemes for doctors at single-digit interest rates, predictable pensions, post-retirement health insurance, and “dignified exit pathways” for senior colleagues. This holistic approach aims to provide lifelong stability.
4. Strengthening Healthcare Delivery: For the private sector and institutional healthcare, Enang’s plan gets innovative. He pledged to push for economic empowerment measures like tax reliefs, fair electricity tariffs, and renewable energy incentives for private hospitals. His most notable proposal is the creation of a “Bank of Medicine”—a dedicated financial institution to provide low-interest funding for hospital expansion, modern equipment, and medical innovation. Furthermore, he envisions a Tertiary Healthcare Fund to sustainably finance teaching hospitals, residency training, and critical research infrastructure.
5. Institutional Reforms and Global Standing: Internally, Enang committed to reuniting a “fractured NMA” through transparent leadership and credible electoral reforms, including a gradual transition to a “One Doctor, One Vote” system. Externally, he plans to rebuild the NMA’s moral authority to influence national policy and champion reforms to protect the integrity of Nigerian medical training, ensuring its global recognition and stopping the devaluation of Nigerian qualifications abroad.
The Immediate Agenda: Solidarity and Crisis Aversion
Aligning his campaign with current tensions, Enang expressed full solidarity with resident doctors amid renewed industrial action threats. He urgently called on the federal government to honor all existing agreements with NARD to “avert another healthcare shutdown,” positioning himself as a leader who would bridge divides and advocate forcefully on behalf of the entire profession.
“This is not about ambition; it is about restoration,” Enang concluded, framing his candidacy as a movement. He called on doctors both at home and in the diaspora to support a collective effort to restore “dignity, unity, and excellence” to a profession he believes is essential to the nation’s future. The “Renaissance 2026” blueprint now stands as a comprehensive manifesto, setting a high bar for the policy debate ahead of the NMA elections.
Edited by Benson Ezugwu/Deborah Coker
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