Industrial Court Blocks Resident Doctors’ Strike
The National Industrial Court in Abuja has issued an interim injunction restraining the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) from proceeding with its planned nationwide strike, Global Mirror News reports.
Justice E.D. Subilim ordered that NARD, its officials and Agents must not engage in any form of industrial action, including strikes, go-slows, picketing or preparatory protest steps, from Monday, January 12, 2026, pending the hearing of a substantive motion on January 21.
The suit was filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and the Federal Government against NARD, its President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, and Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim.
The Court’s intervention comes amid growing support for the industrial action across Federal hospitals, with Resident Doctors at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, and other Tertiary Institutions declaring their readiness to down tools over unresolved welfare and training issues.
Global Mirror News reports that Doctors at UDUTH said their grievances include the non-reinstatement of five disengaged resident Doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, unpaid promotion and salary arrears, and the incomplete implementation of the Professional Allowance Table.
They also cited withheld specialist allowances, delayed payment of house Officers, stalled postgraduate training certification and worsening hospital infrastructure Nationwide.
Despite the court order, NARD had earlier insisted there was “no going back” on the strike.
Speaking in Abuja, Dr Suleiman said the planned withdrawal of services from midnight on Monday was driven by “unmet commitments, shifting Government positions and deteriorating working conditions for Resident Doctors,” not political considerations.
He said none of the issues captured in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government on November 27, 2025, had been resolved.
“Every issue is either at the same point where it was when we signed the MoU or we have even gone backwards,” Dr Suleiman said, dismissing claims by the Ministry of Health that progress had been made.
According to Global Mirror News, the NARD President also challenged the Federal Government to show evidence of the alleged ₦90 billion earmarked in the 2026 budget for health workers’ professional allowances, insisting the funds had not been released.
The Association further demanded the immediate reinstatement of the five disengaged doctors at FTH Lokoja with full back pay, rejecting plans to redeploy them to other facilities.
Other unresolved matters include delayed promotion arrears across 62 Tertiary Institutions, non-recognition of specialist certificates, and unpaid salaries and allowances affecting nearly 40 percent of Resident Doctors.
While NARD says it remains open to dialogue and has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for decisive intervention, it warned that continued inaction could cripple healthcare delivery Nationwide.
At UDUTH, Chapter President Dr Mujitaba Umar described the situation as “difficult but unavoidable,” while the General Secretary, Dr Muhammad Abdulrahman Hassan, urged the Federal Government to act swiftly “in the interest of the Nigerian people and the healthcare system,” Global Mirror News reports.
