Resident Doctors Call Off Strike After New Agreement With FG

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has halted its month-long industrial action, marking a temporary truce in a dispute that had strained public hospitals nationwide.

The association ended the strike late Saturday after an Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting, nearly 29 days after members downed tools over unpaid allowances, promotion arrears, and unresolved welfare issues.

NARD President Dr Mohamed Suleiman confirmed the development in an interview, noting that the decision followed a fresh understanding with federal authorities. 

According to him, both sides endorsed a new Memorandum of Understanding outlining when and how outstanding commitments will be fulfilled.

Suleiman explained that the doctors’ leadership weighed the terms carefully before opting to step back from the strike. He stressed that the move was strategic, not surrender.

“Our council felt the government’s new timelines were concrete enough to test,” he said. 

“We have suspended the strike to allow at least four weeks for these promises to translate into action. This pause does not erase our demands; it simply gives room for implementation.”

He added that the suspension takes effect immediately and directed all resident doctors across public health institutions to resume duty without delay. 

Hospital wards, outpatient clinics, and emergency units are expected to restart full operations beginning today.

The industrial action, which began on November 1, saw the doctors present 19 key demands to the government, issues they described as essential for rebuilding a weakened health sector and restoring dignity to medical professionals facing burnout and mass migration.

Among the grievances were unpaid 25% and 35% CONMESS upward review arrears, which should have been cleared by August 2025; long-standing salary delays; and promotion arrears owed in federal tertiary hospitals. 

The doctors also protested the government’s failure to pay their 2024 accoutrement allowance despite earlier assurances, as well as the controversial dismissal of five resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.

A senior NARD official, who asked not to be named, said the strike was a “painful necessity triggered by years of neglect,” adding that the association expects visible progress within the four-week window. 

“Healthcare workers cannot continue functioning on empty promises,” the official said. “This implementation phase will determine our next steps.”

Moreover, analysts say the suspension offers a brief opening for the government to stabilise overstretched hospitals and prevent another wave of disruptions. 

However, many warn that failure to meet the agreed deadlines could lead to renewed tensions in early 2026.

The next month will show whether the new commitments mark a genuine shift in government engagement or yet another cycle of unresolved pledges.