Nigeria Rehires 788 Doctors Fired Over Strike

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - Nigeria's most populous state says it is rehiring nearly 788 doctors fired three weeks ago for going on strike to protest their wages.

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola announced his decision to journalists Thursday.

The mass firing affected more than half of all physicians working in Lagos' hospitals and clinics, which quickly became overburdened. The doctors had then sued the government over their firing.

Bamidele Aturu, the doctors' lawyer, said they had not directly been informed of the decision to rehire them and that a compromise over their wages had not yet been reached. However, he said he believed the doctors would consider going back to work.

Lagos state is home to more than 17.5 million people.