Resident Doctors Announce Fresh Nationwide Strike From January 12
Resident doctors across Nigeria have announced a fresh nationwide strike from January 12, 2026, signalling a breakdown in talks with the Federal Government over unresolved welfare and career-related demands.
The decision was taken by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) after an Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting held on January 2, 2026.
In a communique issued after the meeting, the association said the action would be total and indefinite, tagged TICS 2.0, and would commence at exactly 12:00 am on the stated date.
The statement, signed by NARD President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, said the strike became unavoidable after the government failed to fully implement agreements reached during earlier negotiations.
“NEC resolved to resume TICS 2.0 tagged ‘No Implementation, No Going Back’ with effect from 12th January 2026 by 12:00 am,”the communique read. “Suspension will only be considered after full implementation of the agreed minimum demands,” the association stated.
According to the association, the NEC resolved to resume the suspended industrial action under the slogan “No Implementation, No Going Back,” stressing that services would only resume after all agreed minimum demands are met.
Suleiman said resident doctors had exhausted all dialogue channels following the government’s failure to honour commitments that led to the suspension of a previous 29-day strike on November 29, 2025.
He explained that the Federal Government had promised to address key demands within four weeks, but NARD noted that the deadline passed without any visible progress.
Among the unresolved issues listed by the association are the reinstatement of the FTH Lokoja five, payment of outstanding promotion and salary arrears, and full implementation of the professional allowance structure with arrears captured in the 2026 budget.
The doctors are also demanding official clarification by the Federal Ministry of Health on skipping and entry-level placement issues affecting resident doctors nationwide.
Beyond withdrawing their services, NARD said it has directed its 91 centre presidents to begin nationwide mobilisation, including congress meetings and media briefings, as part of a broader strategy to sustain public attention on the dispute.
“We want 91 press conferences to saturate the spaces over the next seven days,” the associated stated, underscoring the group’s resolve to keep public attention on the dispute.
The strike will be accompanied by centre-based protests from January 12 to 16, followed by regional demonstrations and a national protest to be coordinated by the National Officers Committee.
According to the communique, the one-week notice is intended to allow for internal mobilisation, media engagement, and statutory notifications to security agencies and hospital managements.
At the heart of the dispute are long-standing issues affecting doctors’ pay, career progression, and working conditions.
“This struggle is about dignity and fairness at work,” Suleiman said, noting that resident doctors are often the backbone of public hospitals. As of press time, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had not issued an official response to the latest strike notice.
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