James Obasi14 September 2025
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its five-day warning strike just two days after it began, granting the Federal Government a two-week deadline to meet its demands. The strike, which commenced on September 12, was called off following an emergency virtual meeting of NARD’s Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) held on Saturday, September 13. According to a statement signed by NARD President Dr. Tope Osundara and Secretary General Dr. Odunbaku Kazeem Oluwasola, members are to resume work from 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 14. The suspension, the association noted, followed the commencement of payments for the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to previously unpaid doctors and was also driven by concern for Nigerians facing health challenges amid current economic difficulties. “NEC resolved to suspend the strike to allow the government a two-week window to fully implement the demands outlined in our communique,” the statement read. NARD also called on the Oyo State Government to address outstanding issues at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, in compliance with the 15-day ultimatum issued by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State branch. Failure to comply, the group warned, would lead to an indefinite solidarity strike by resident doctors in the state. The association further urged state governments to urgently resolve welfare-related issues affecting resident doctors in their facilities, adding that members in state-owned tertiary hospitals are authorized to continue existing industrial actions until meaningful engagement occurs.