The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced the suspension of its indefinite strike action.
Chapter President George Ebong confirmed the development to Channels Television, stating that doctors are expected to resume duties on Monday, September 22, 2025, by 8 a.m.
According to Ebong, the decision to suspend the strike was influenced by the intervention of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, which pledged to engage directly with the FCT Minister to address the doctors’ grievances.
However, he clarified that none of the association’s demands have been met so far. The suspension, he said, is a show of goodwill while awaiting concrete action.
The strike, which began last week, was triggered by several unresolved issues, including unpaid salary arrears dating back to 2023, unexplained deductions from allowances, and the failure to promote resident doctors who have completed specialist training but are still being remunerated as general medical officers.
Resident doctors, who are medical graduates undergoing specialist training, form the backbone of emergency care in Nigeria’s public hospitals and play a vital role in the country’s healthcare delivery.
In a previous statement released on September 1, 2025, NARD outlined a series of demands. These include the immediate release of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, payment of five months’ arrears resulting from the 25–35% salary review under CONMESS, and settlement of other outstanding salary backlogs.
The association also called for the payment of the 2024 accoutrement allowance arrears, timely disbursement of specialist allowances, and official recognition of West African postgraduate membership certificates.
In addition, NARD urged the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to issue certificates to eligible candidates, demanded the implementation of the 2024 CONMESS, and called for the resolution of lingering welfare concerns affecting resident doctors in Kaduna State and at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso.
