•Protesting Nigerian doctors
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has directed its members in 91 tertiary health institutions across the country to withdraw their services completely and indefinitely from 12:00 am (midnight) on Monday, January 12, 2026.
They said the directive was due to the federal government’s failure to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered into with the association, reports The Guardian.
NARD faulted claims by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Adekunle Salako, that the association’s demands had reduced from 19 to nine.
According to the association, the reduction was only for public communication purposes.
“But if you x-ray those nine, they’re actually 16 items,” NARD stated.
The association also rejected the decision of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to redeploy five disengaged resident doctors of the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Lokoja, to another federal teaching hospital, insisting on their immediate and unconditional reinstatement at FTH Lokoja in line with the recommendations of a duly constituted committee.
Briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday, President of NARD, Dr Mohammad Usman Suleiman, said the association’s Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) convened an emergency meeting on Friday, January 2, 2026, to review the implementation status of the MoU reached with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH&SW) and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment (FMoL&E).
He said the MoU arose from NARD’s 19 demands, which address critical welfare, remuneration and professional practice issues affecting resident doctors nationwide.
Suleiman said the collective bargaining agreement process remained stalled and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene.
He said: “The collective bargaining agreement process remains stalled and requires urgent resumption and timely conclusion.”
He expressed concern over a statement credited to the Minister of State for Health during a television programme, where he reportedly said the collective bargaining process had been suspended.
Suleiman accused the ministry of deploying delay tactics aimed at preventing resident doctors from negotiating their remuneration with the government for the next one year.
He vowed that NARD would resume the previously suspended Total, Comprehensive and Indefinite strike until the federal government and affected state governments demonstrate “clear, concrete and genuine commitment” to addressing the association’s demands.
The NARD president expressed serious concern over the persistent delay in transmitting compiled promotion arrears owed to doctors across several institutions to the Budget Office and the Federal Ministry of Finance for processing and payment.
He also frowned at delays in transmitting salary arrears owed to doctors in some institutions for similar processing.
Suleiman lamented that reconciliation and payment of all failed payments and omissions relating to the arrears from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent upward review of CONMESS and accoutrement allowance—affecting about 40 per cent of members—had yet to be resolved by the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
He called for the immediate settlement of all outstanding House Officers’ salary arrears, prompt salary payments and the issuance of a formal pay advisory to House Officers, as earlier promised by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
Suleiman also demanded the immediate reversal of the re-categorisation of membership certificates by the MDCN and the prompt issuance of certificates after Part I examinations by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN).
He further called for the immediate payment of all outstanding salaries and allowance arrears owed to doctors in affected federal and state tertiary health institutions, including but not limited to BSUTH, KSSH, DELSUTH, FMC Owo, UUTH, OAUTHC, UITH and FUHSTH Otukpo.
Suleiman stressed the need for urgent and proactive government intervention to address the deteriorating state of infrastructure and replace obsolete equipment across health institutions nationwide.
He emphasised the need for accelerated and measurable progress on all other outstanding demands earlier agreed upon with the federal government, noting that the full implementation of the approved Professional Allowance Table, including payment of accrued arrears, had not been comprehensively effected and should be adequately captured in the 2026 national budget.
