Nigerian Doctors Extend Ultimatum to Federal Government, Declare Industrial Dispute Over Welfare
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has extended its 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government by four weeks and formally declared an industrial dispute, warning that it can no longer guarantee industrial harmony if long-standing welfare and professional demands remain unaddressed.
The decision emerged from an Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting held virtually on 27 June 2026, just as the original ultimatum issued after the association’s May Ordinary General Meeting in Kano expired. A detailed communiqué released the following day outlines the council’s observations and firm demands, signed by NARD President Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman, Secretary-General Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim O., and other national officers.
In the document, the council expressed deep dissatisfaction over the non-disbursement of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund despite repeated assurances, persistent delays in House Officers’ salaries and entitlements, and the non-payment of 19 months of Professional Allowance arrears along with outstanding 25/35% CONMESS upward review. It also highlighted salary and promotion arrears across multiple centres and ongoing crises at specific institutions.
The association voiced serious concern about the situation at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex in Ile-Ife, where resident doctors face continued victimisation with adverse effects on healthcare services and residency training. It condemned the Lagos University Teaching Hospital management’s refusal to provide call meals and attempts by some hospital managements to reintroduce bench fees for resident doctors in private tertiary institutions, despite an existing circular abolishing the practice.
The council commended state governments and private institutions that have paid Professional Allowance arrears, Specialist Allowances, implemented reviewed CONMESS structures, and disbursed the Medical Residency Training Fund, while noting progress on employment clearance by the Federal Character Commission and the work of the Ministerial Committee on Assaults Against Healthcare Workers.
NARD has given the government until its next National Executive Council meeting in Gombe State, scheduled for 26 – 31 July 2026, to act. The association has directed its National Officers’ Committee to prepare for possible industrial action if compliance is unsatisfactory. The communiqué states explicitly that the association cannot guarantee industrial harmony beyond the four-week window if all its demands are not fully addressed.
This latest escalation follows months of engagements with federal ministries, the Budget Office, Accountant-General, and other stakeholders. While NARD acknowledges incremental progress on issues such as assaults on healthcare workers and some employment clearances, core financial and welfare commitments remain largely unmet. The association represents over 10,000 resident doctors across 91 healthcare facilities nationwide.
Nigeria’s public health sector has faced repeated disruptions from doctors’ strikes in recent years, often over similar issues of remuneration, training funds, and working conditions. A nationwide action by resident doctors would compound existing strains on an already overburdened system, potentially affecting emergency services, specialist care, and residency training programmes critical to addressing the country’s physician shortage.
As the four-week window begins, all eyes remain on the Federal Government’s response and whether sustained negotiations can avert another round of industrial action that would further test Nigeria’s fragile healthcare delivery.
NARD has urged its members to continue diligent service while the National Officers’ Committee pursues engagements.
