The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has vowed to resume its suspended indefinite nationwide strike from 12:00 a.m. on Monday, January 12, 2026, accusing the Federal Government of failing to fully implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in November 2025.
The threat comes despite an interim injunction issued on Friday, January 9, 2026, by Justice Emmanuel Subilim of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja.
The ex parte order, granted following a motion by the Federal Government and the Attorney General of the Federation, restrains NARD, its members, officials including National President Dr. Mohammad Suleiman and General Secretary Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim and agents from embarking on any form of industrial action, including strikes, work stoppages, protests, or preparatory steps, pending the hearing of the substantive motion on January 21, 2026.
In a communiqué from its Emergency National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting on January 2, 2026, and statements from branches like the University of Port Harcourt chapter, NARD described the government's non-compliance as unfortunate and contrary to the agreement that led to the suspension of its previous 29-day strike on November 29, 2025.
Dr. Ezinne Kalu, President of NARD at the University of Port Harcourt, stated during a press briefing: “We had suspended our strike November last year with the agreement that the MoU... was going to be implemented by the federal government. Unfortunately, it’s not been implemented.”
The union's demands, stemming from a 19-point agenda, include:Reinstatement of five disengaged resident doctors at Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja
Payment of outstanding promotion arrears, salary arrears, and allowances (with over 2,000 members still awaiting 25–35% CONMESS arrears)
Full implementation of the corrected Professional Allowance Table, with arrears captured in the 2026 budget
Clarification on entry-level placements, skipping issues, and re-categorization of certificates
Payment of delayed House Officers’ salaries
Reintroduction of Specialist Allowance
Regulation of work hours, locum engagement, and faster progress on Collective Bargaining Agreement
Addressing deteriorating infrastructure and other welfare concerns
NARD has directed members across 91 tertiary health institutions to withdraw services completely and indefinitely if demands remain unmet.
It also called for coordinated peaceful protests, starting with centre-based actions from January 12–16, followed by regional and national demonstrations.
NARD President Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, speaking on Channels Television, affirmed the association's resolve, stating the strike would proceed “unless the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors says otherwise,” and that members were undeterred by the court order, citing the government's alleged lack of good faith.
The development risks further disruption to Nigeria's public healthcare system, particularly in teaching hospitals, amid ongoing challenges like brain drain, poor working conditions, and underfunding.
NARD reiterated openness to dialogue but insisted on concrete implementation of the MoU to avert the planned action, tagged “TICS 2.0 – No Implementation, No Going Back.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com