Resident Doctors Threaten Fresh Nationwide Strike Over Unfulfilled Agreement With FG

By Ugbede James

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has warned that Nigeria may soon witness another nationwide disruption of medical services over the Federal Government’s failure to implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the association.

In an urgent appeal sighted on Monday, NARD said it is on the verge of resuming a total and indefinite comprehensive strike, citing what it described as the government’s persistent failure to honour timelines agreed upon in the MoU.

The appeal, titled “Urgent Appeal to Avert a Looming Nationwide NARD Strike (TICS 2.0),” was signed by the association’s Secretary-General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim. It called on senior medical professionals and respected elders in the health sector to intervene and prevail on the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government to prevent another industrial action.

According to NARD, the renewed strike threat follows the government’s failure to implement commitments made after the association suspended its last nationwide strike on November 29, 2025, following 29 days of industrial action. Under the MoU reached at the time, the government reportedly agreed to address the doctors’ demands within four weeks.

However, the association said more than 30 days after the agreement was signed, there has been no visible or substantive progress in implementing its provisions.

“The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors stands on the brink of another nationwide industrial action tagged Total and Indefinite Comprehensive Strike (TICS 2.0), triggered by the failure of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government to honour the Memorandum of Understanding freely entered into with NARD,” the statement read.

NARD described the situation as a breakdown of trust and good faith in government–professional relations, warning that resident doctors should not be blamed if industrial action resumes.
The association noted that it had exercised restraint by extending several deadlines in good faith.

After suspending an initial warning strike, NARD issued a two-week ultimatum, followed by a 30-day extension and an additional seven-day extension, all of which reportedly elapsed without meaningful response or action from the government.

These delays, according to NARD, eventually led to the commencement of its first Total and Indefinite Comprehensive Strike (TICS 1.0), which was only suspended after limited engagements culminated in the signing of the MoU.

The association emphasised that resident doctors constitute the backbone of service delivery in Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals, warning that another strike could severely disrupt healthcare services and negatively affect millions of patients nationwide.

It added that resident doctors are overworked, increasingly demoralised and grappling with poor welfare conditions, arguing that the government’s failure to honour agreements addressing these concerns sends a troubling signal to the medical profession.

“We therefore humbly but urgently appeal to you to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Health, and by extension the Federal Government, to take immediate and visible steps to honour the MoU with NARD,” the association said, urging senior medical elders to use their moral authority to avert another healthcare crisis.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Federal Ministry of Health nor the Federal Government had issued an official response to the warning.