The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government, announcing that it will resume a total and indefinite strike if all agreements reached are not fully implemented within the next four weeks.
This warning was contained in a communiqué released after NARD’s Extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
The document was jointly signed by the association’s President, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman; Secretary-General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim; and Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr. Abdulmajid Ibrahim.
The ultimatum comes just days after the union suspended its nationwide industrial action on Saturday, ending a 29-day shutdown of medical services.
The suspension followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in which the Federal Government committed to implementing all outstanding demands within four weeks.
Four Weeks to Deliver — NARD Sets Firm Deadline
According to the communiqué, the NEC agreed to pause the strike only to allow close monitoring of the implementation process.
“The strike is suspended for four weeks to enable evaluation of progress. Any failure to fully implement the agreements within this period will lead to the resumption of a total, indefinite, and comprehensive strike,” the statement read.
While acknowledging that some steps had been taken, the NEC insisted that all components of the agreement must be executed without delay.
NARD Highlights Outstanding Demands
The association outlined several priority issues that must be addressed immediately by the government:
* Reinstatement of the five disengaged doctors at Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, within two weeks.
* Payment of accumulated arrears, including CONMESS adjustments, accoutrement allowance, specialist allowance, promotion arrears, and outstanding salaries across affected hospitals—compilation and payment must be completed within one month.
* Resumption and timely completion of the CBA exercise, which has stalled.
* Full enforcement of all remaining resolutions reached during earlier conciliatory meetings.
Local Industrial Actions to Continue
NARD noted that while the national strike has been suspended, state-owned teaching hospitals and federal institutions with unresolved internal issues are permitted to maintain local strikes until credible commitments are obtained from their respective managements.
Also Read: PDP Osun Governorship Primary 2025: Election Set for December 2 in Osogbo
The association reaffirmed that its latest suspension is temporary and conditional, stressing that the government must meet all obligations before the four-week window closes.
