The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) has suspended its planned nationwide strike, which was scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12, 2026.
The decision followed renewed engagements with the Federal Government. The North-Central caucus of the association announced the suspension after a series of consultations with government representatives, noting that the move was taken in the interest of patients while negotiations continue.
Speaking on the development, caucus leader Dr Fanen Dogoh stressed that the suspension does not imply that the issues prompting the strike threat have been resolved.
The resident doctors had threatened industrial action over the Federal Government’s continued failure to fully implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
Key demands include the immediate reinstatement of doctors dismissed from the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Lokoja, over alleged unauthorised protests and union activities.
The association is also demanding the payment of outstanding salary arrears and allowances, including 18 months of unpaid entitlements owed to resident doctors in federal institutions such as the Federal Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, and the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
Other grievances include delays in entry-point salary payments for newly employed doctors, unpaid promotion arrears, and the non-implementation of the reviewed professional allowance structure, which took effect in June 2024 but has yet to be reflected in the 2026 budget.
The ARD said it would continue to monitor developments and warned that it would not hesitate to resume the strike should the government fail to take concrete steps to address the welfare concerns of resident doctors nationwide.
