Resident Doctors to Resume Nationwide Strike January 12 Over Unmet Demands

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced plans to resume its suspended nationwide industrial action on January 12, warning of a return to full-scale protests and withdrawal of services if the Federal Government fails to fully implement its long-standing demands.

The decision followed an expanded National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Friday, January 2. Members were subsequently briefed via the association’s official X platform, where the President, Dr Muhammad Suleiman, addressed medical and dental trainees on behalf of the National Officers Committee (NOC).

In the update, NARD unveiled a renewed action plan tagged TICS 2.0, with the slogan “No Implementation, No Going Back.” According to the resolution, the association will resume the action at exactly 12:00 a.m. on Monday, January 12, 2026, unless its minimum demands are met.

Key demands include the reinstatement of five doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja; payment of outstanding promotion and salary arrears; and full implementation of the professional allowance table, with arrears captured in the 2026 budget. Other demands involve clarification on skipping and entry-level placement issues, reintroduction of the Specialist Allowance, resolution of house officers’ salary delays, and reforms in postgraduate training certification.

NARD said the one-week window before the strike resumption was designed to allow congress meetings, media engagement, and statutory notifications to security agencies and hospital managements nationwide.

The NOC affirmed its full alignment with the NEC resolutions and assured members that engagements with relevant authorities would be intensified. As part of preparations, presidents of all 91 NARD centres have been directed to convene congress meetings and address the public, with the aim of dominating national discourse on doctors’ welfare in the coming days.