Resident doctors threaten indefinite strike over unfulfilled agreement with FG

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has warned that the country may soon experience another nationwide shutdown of medical services, following the Federal Government’s failure to implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the association.

In an urgent appeal posted on X, NARD said it was on the brink of resuming a total and indefinite comprehensive strike, citing what it described as the government’s persistent disregard for timelines agreed under the MoU.

The appeal, titled “Urgent Appeal to Avert a Looming Nationwide NARD Strike (TICS 2.0),” was signed by Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim, the association’s secretary-general. 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 avert another industrial action.

According to NARD, the strike threat stems from the government’s failure to meet commitments made after the association suspended its last nationwide strike on November 29, following 29 days of industrial action. Under the MoU reached at the time, the government agreed to implement NARD’s 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 association said.

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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 demonstrated restraint by extending several deadlines in good faith. After suspending a warning strike, NARD issued a two-week ultimatum, which it said elapsed without any meaningful response from the government. This was followed by a 30-day extension and a further seven-day extension, all of which passed without concrete action.

According to the association, these delays eventually led to the commencement of its first Total and Indefinite Comprehensive Strike (TICS 1.0), which was suspended only after limited engagement resulted in the signing of the MoU.

NARD emphasised that resident doctors form the backbone of service delivery in Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals, warning that another strike could severely disrupt healthcare services and affect millions of patients across the country.

It added that resident doctors are overworked, increasingly demoralised and struggling with poor welfare conditions, arguing that the government’s failure to honour agreements addressing these challenges sends a dangerous 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 prevent another healthcare crisis.

As of press time, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had not issued any official response to the warning.

Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.

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