The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared an indefinite nationwide strike set to begin at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 31, 2025, following the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government over unresolved welfare and policy issues.
NARD President, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, announced the decision in a statement on Sunday, following a five-hour extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Saturday.
“The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action,” Suleiman stated.
He said the NEC had mandated the National Officers Committee (NOC) to ensure full compliance and strict enforcement of the strike directive across all centres. Centre presidents and general secretaries were also instructed to convene emergency congress meetings to brief members on the resolutions.
“We have reported to NEC and NEC has decided. The NOC will carry out this directive to the letter and in full compliance,” he added.
The NARD President accused certain government and non-government actors of pursuing “evil and exploitative plans” against resident doctors, warning that the union would “collectively resist” such actions.
He urged members to use the days leading up to the strike to hand over patients, engage community and religious leaders, and sensitise the public about the reasons for the industrial action.
The strike is expected to severely disrupt healthcare delivery nationwide, as resident doctors make up a significant portion of the clinical workforce in public hospitals.
NARD had, on September 26, issued a one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government to address longstanding grievances, including:
- Excessive and unregulated work hours;
- Nonpayment of outstanding arrears from the 25% and 35% CONMESS salary review;
- The unjust dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja;
- Nonpayment of promotion arrears and 2024 accoutrement allowance;
- Delays in upgrading doctors’ ranks after completing postgraduate exams, leading to unpaid salary adjustments;
- Exclusion of resident doctors from specialist and civil service allowances; and
- Downgrading of newly employed doctors from CONMESS 3 Step 3 to CONMESS 2 Step 2, resulting in reduced pay.
The association said the Federal Government’s failure to address these issues despite repeated negotiations had left it with no choice but to embark on a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike.
