Resident Doctors Give FG Aug. 10 Deadline to Meet Demands or Face Nationwide Strike

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given the Federal Government until 10th August 2026 to resolve several welfare and workplace issues or face a nationwide strike.

The decision was announced after the association's National Executive Council meeting in Gombe, where members reviewed months of talks with government officials.

The doctors said they were unhappy with the slow progress in carrying out earlier agreements, despite repeated meetings with the Federal Ministry of Health and other government agencies over salaries, allowances and working conditions.

They warned that a "Total and Comprehensive Industrial Strike" would begin at 8 a.m. on 10th August if their demands are not met.

Among the association's major demands are the payment of outstanding salary arrears, promotion arrears, the 25/35 percent CONMESS review arrears, and 19 months of unpaid professional allowance.

NARD also called for faster implementation of the Medical and Health Workers' Collective Bargaining Agreement and better welfare for house officers across the country.

The council also expressed concern over what it described as "persistent assaults, harassment, intimidation, and violent attacks against doctors," calling the trend "barbaric, unacceptable, and a serious threat to Nigeria's already fragile healthcare system."

It urged the government to create a national protocol to prevent attacks on healthcare workers and to make such assaults a criminal offence.

The resident doctors praised the Federal Government for paying the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund to many eligible doctors but asked that those left out be paid immediately.

They also commended the governments of Osun, Kaduna, Oyo, Rivers and Plateau states for improving doctors' welfare and urged other states to follow their example.

NARD President Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman presided over the week-long meeting, which was held under the theme, "Strengthening Healthcare Systems: Resident Doctors at the Forefront."

The association said it remains committed to dialogue but stressed that "the welfare of resident doctors and the survival of Nigeria's healthcare system remain non-negotiable."