By Huldah Shado
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced plans to commence an indefinite nationwide strike starting Saturday, November 1, 2025, following the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government.
NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, disclosed this on Saturday after the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) held an emergency virtual meeting to review the government’s response to their demands.
According to Suleiman, “The NEC of NARD has declared total and indefinite strike action starting November 1, 2025. As a matter of fact, the NEC said all the 19 points are our minimum demands, and there is no going back. The notice for the strike will be out maybe later today or tomorrow.”
The strike, once it begins, is expected to paralyse medical services in hospitals nationwide, as resident doctors constitute the backbone of clinical care in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
NARD had on September 26, 2025, given the Federal Government a one-month ultimatum to address lingering issues affecting the welfare and training of resident doctors and medical officers across the country.
Among the grievances listed by the association are excessive and unregulated work hours, non-payment of outstanding arrears from the 25 and 35 percent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and the unjust dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.
The association also expressed frustration over the non-payment of promotion arrears to medical officers in various federal tertiary hospitals, as well as the government’s failure to pay the 2024 accoutrement allowance despite repeated assurances from the Ministry of Health.
NARD further cited bureaucratic delays in upgrading resident doctors’ ranks after completing postgraduate medical examinations, resulting in non-payment of new salary scales and accumulated arrears.
The doctors condemned their exclusion from the specialist allowance, despite their critical role in providing specialist-level care to patients across the country.
Similarly, the association faulted the exclusion of medical and dental house officers from the civil service scheme—a policy it said denies them rightful salaries, professional recognition, and career progression.
NARD also decried the downgrading of newly employed resident doctors from CONMESS 3 Step 3 to CONMESS 2 Step 2, a move that has led to reduced earnings and unpaid salary arrears in several federal hospitals nationwide.
