NARD to Resume Nationwide Strike from January 12 Over Unmet Welfare Demands

NARD to Resume Nationwide Strike from January 12 Over Unmet Welfare Demands

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced the resumption of a total and indefinite strike across Nigeria starting January 12, 2026, citing the Federal Government’s failure to implement agreed welfare demands.

The decision was reached during an Extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on January 2, and was confirmed in a statement shared on X by NARD President, Dr Mohammed Suleiman. The strike, dubbed TICS 2.0 – “No Implementation, No Going Back”, will commence at 12:00 a.m. on January 12 and will continue until all demands are fully met.

“NEC resolved to resume TICS 2.0 tagged ‘No Implementation, No Going Back’ with effect from 12th January 2026 by 12:00 am,” the statement read.

To intensify advocacy, NARD has instructed all 91 centre presidents nationwide to hold congress meetings and brief the media, aiming to conduct 91 press conferences over seven days. Additionally, the association announced a series of centre-based protests from January 12 to 16, followed by regional protests and a national demonstration led by the National Officers Committee.

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The welfare demands driving the strike include:

• Reinstatement of the FTH Lokoja five
• Payment of promotion and salary arrears
• Full implementation of the professional allowance table, with arrears captured in the 2026 budget
• Reintroduction and payment of specialist allowance
• Resolution of issues regarding entry level, skipping, and house officers’ salary arrears
• Issuance of membership and Part I certificates by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria
• Establishment of locum and work hours regulation committees
• Resumption and timely conclusion of the collective bargaining agreement process

Dr Suleiman explained that the one-week lead time is strategic, allowing for proper congress meetings, media engagement, and statutory notification to hospital management and security agencies.

The move follows a warning issued on December 28, 2025, when NARD cautioned that Nigeria was heading toward another nationwide shutdown of medical services after the government failed to honour a Memorandum of Understanding.

The doctors had suspended a 29-day strike on November 29, 2025, after the government promised to meet their demands within four weeks—a deadline that passed with no visible progress. As of press time, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had yet to respond officially.

NARD to Resume Nationwide Strike from January 12 Over Unmet Welfare Demands