The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Friday convened an extraordinary meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) amid unresolved disputes with the Federal Government, raising concerns over a possible nationwide strike.
In a statement issued ahead of the meeting, the association said the emergency session would determine its next line of action following what it described as prolonged frustrations over unfulfilled agreements and worsening working conditions for resident doctors across the country.
NARD accused the Bola Tinubu-led government of failing to fully implement previously signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), alleging that several agreements had been neglected, altered, or only partially implemented. The association said gains earlier secured had also been eroded by government actions.
While noting that industrial action is not its preferred option, NARD said strikes become inevitable when authorities ignore the welfare concerns of resident doctors. It added that all channels of dialogue and engagement had been exhausted without meaningful results.
The association rejected claims that resident doctors were unpatriotic or unnecessarily militant, insisting that its members were central to healthcare delivery in Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals and were only demanding the enforcement of agreements already reached with the government.
NARD urged its members to await the outcome of the NEC meeting, describing the gathering as crucial to the association’s future course of action.
Earlier in the week, NARD had warned that Nigeria could face a total and indefinite strike if the Federal Government failed to implement an MoU reached after the suspension of a previous 29-day strike in November. According to the association, the agreement required the government to meet its demands within four weeks, a deadline it said had been repeatedly ignored.
The association said continued delays had further dampened morale among resident doctors and threatened the stability of healthcare services nationwide.
