NARD Begins Nationwide Warning Strike
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has commenced a five-day warning strike on Friday, 12 September 2025, despite assurances by the Federal Government that the action would be averted.
Resident doctors are medical school graduates training as specialists. They dominate the emergency wards of hospitals in Nigeria and are crucial to quality health care delivery nationwide.
The group had announced that it had resolved on the strike after its emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
“Arising from the NARD E-NEC meeting held on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, which extended into the early hours of Thursday, 11 September 2025. The NEC members unanimously resolved to embark on a five-day warning strike,” the statement read.
The action, which commenced at 8 a.m. on Friday, and will end on Tuesday, 16 September 2025, followed the expiration of a 24-hour ultimatum issued to the federal government to meet its outstanding demands.
The ultimatum came after an earlier 10-day deadline, which lapsed on September 10 without resolution.
The association confirmed the commencement of the strike in a message titled: “Declaration of strike action” and signed by the secretary-general of the NARD, Dr Oluwasola Odunbaku, yesterday.
“Good morning NEC members, thank you all for your continued cooperation and understanding. As clearly stated in our earlier communique, the strike is scheduled to commence at 8:00 am today (Friday).
“All centre leaderships are expected to guide their members accordingly. Further updates will be communicated to NEC members in due course,” he stated.
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NARD in a communique issued on September 1, 2025, and signed by the President, Osundara; General Secretary, Dr. Oluwasola Odunbaku; and Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr. Omoha Amobi, demanded immediate payment of the outstanding 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, settlement of five months’ arrears from the 25–35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure review, and other long-standing salary backlogs demands.
Others are the payment of the 2024 accoutrement allowance arrears, prompt disbursement of specialist allowances, and restoration of the recognition of the West African postgraduate membership certificates.
They also called on the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to issue membership certificates to all deserving candidates, implement the 2024 CONMESS, resolve outstanding welfare issues in Kaduna State, and address the plight of resident doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.
The development follows the Minister of State for Health, Isaq Salako’s reaction to the warning strike notice.
Salako had expressed optimism that there were talks with NARD, and the strike could be prevented.
“The National Association of Resident Doctors has issued an ultimatum, but I believe with the level of conversation ongoing, we are making progress,” he said during an interview on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television during the week.
Salako explained that the major issue was the outstanding residency training allowance, and the government has yet to pay about 40 per cent of it for 2025.
He added, “It is my hope, and that is what we are working on, that the matter will be resolved before the ultimatum expires.”
