The President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, announced that the National Executive Council (NEC) has streamlined the conditions required to suspend the ongoing nationwide strike.
Previous Negotiations Yielded Limited Results
Suleiman noted that three conciliation meetings were held, covering 19 items, but the government has only partially implemented the resolutions, mainly the 25–35% allowance payment.
Health Services Severely Disrupted
Since the strike began on November 1, 2025, around 11,000 resident doctors across 91 teaching hospitals have walked out. The situation worsened on November 15 when the Joint Health Sector Unions joined the strike, raising concerns over patient safety.
Seven Priority Issues to Resolve
The NEC now insists the government addresses seven key issues:
- Reinstatement of Lokoja doctors
- Release of the Professional Allowance Table
- Payment of promotion arrears
- Payment of salary arrears in specific hospitals
- Implementation of upgrades for doctors who passed Part I exams
- Implementation of specialist allowance
- Resolution of the Membership Certificate issue
Deadlines Missed
Despite agreed timelines, key deliverables remain unfulfilled. Suleiman emphasized that several arrears and reports have not been submitted to relevant authorities, and partial payments are still pending for about 40% of members.
NARD Awaits Government Response
Suleiman stated, “NEC said when the government sorts these out, we will come back again and suspend this strike. That is where we are now.”
