The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared a total, indefinite nationwide strike starting Friday, October 31, 2025, at 11:59 p.m., threatening to paralyze public hospitals across the country.
NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, confirmed the decision after an emergency virtual meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC). He said the strike followed the government’s failure to meet key welfare and training demands, calling the council’s 19-point agenda its “minimum demands.”
The doctors accuse the government of reneging on agreements, including unpaid arrears from the 25% and 35% CONMESS salary reviews, delayed promotion arrears, and the non-payment of 2024 accoutrement allowances. They also condemned the dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, amid a worsening brain drain.
Other concerns include delayed rank upgrades, exclusion from specialist allowances, and the removal of medical and dental house officers from the civil service scheme — all of which have led to salary shortfalls and low morale.
Dr. Suleiman warned that residents continue to face exhausting workloads and unsafe working conditions, putting both doctors and patients at risk.
The looming strike has sparked fears of a major disruption in healthcare delivery, particularly in federal and teaching hospitals heavily dependent on resident doctors.
NARD has embarked on several similar strikes in recent years, notably in 2023 and 2024, over the same unresolved welfare issues.
