That families of doctors who have died as a result of covid-19 should receive insurance money is another requirement, according to the trade union Nard.
Nard represents around 40 percent of the doctors in Nigeria, which with its over 200 million inhabitants is Africa's most populous country.
-It's an indefinite strike.
There will be no exceptions for doctors who treat covid-19 patients, says Nard's chairman Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi.
According to Okhuaihesuyi, the state hospitals in the country are underfunded, in "deplorable" condition and lack the necessary equipment - including hospital beds, protective equipment and medicine - to deal with coronary heart disease.
Some states have not paid salaries and other benefits to their doctors for months, according to the union.
The authorities are now worried about how the strike will affect the country's handling of the virus and the ongoing wave of the delta variant, as well as the fragile vaccination campaign that has recently started.