The National Industrial Court in Abuja has stepped in to prevent a major healthcare disruption, issuing an order to stop the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) from going on strike. The interim injunction, delivered by Justice E.D. Subilim, restrains the doctors' union and its representatives from any form of industrial action.
Court Order and Government's Legal Move
The court's injunction specifically bars NARD, its President Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, and Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim from embarking on strikes, go-slows, picketing, or any preparatory steps for protest starting Monday, January 12, 2026. This legal intervention came after the Attorney General of the Federation and the Federal Government filed a suit against the doctors' association. Justice Subilim directed that this order remains effective until the motion is heard on January 21.
Doctors' Grievances and Unmet Agreements
Despite the court order, resident doctors across Nigeria have expressed strong support for industrial action, citing the government's failure to honor critical agreements. Doctors at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) in Sokoto have declared full backing for the nationwide strike.
The core issues fueling the dispute include:
- The non-reinstatement of five disengaged resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.
- Unpaid promotion and salary arrears affecting doctors in 62 tertiary institutions.
- Incomplete implementation of the Professional Allowance Table.
- Withheld specialist allowances and delayed house officers' salaries.
- Postgraduate training certification delays and deteriorating hospital infrastructure.
NARD President Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, speaking in Abuja, insisted there was "no going back" on the industrial action, describing it as necessary and not politically motivated. He stated that the withdrawal of services from midnight on Monday was a response to "unmet commitments, shifting government positions and worsening working conditions."
Broken Promises and Financial Questions
Dr. Suleiman revealed that none of the demands outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government on November 27, 2025, have been implemented. "Every issue is either at the same point where it was when we signed the MoU or we have even gone backwards," he asserted, dismissing Ministry of Health claims that some issues had been resolved as misleading.
The association has challenged the government to provide evidence of where N90 billion, allegedly allocated in the 2026 budget for health workers' professional allowances, has been deployed. They also demand the immediate reinstatement of the five disengaged doctors at FTH Lokoja with full back pay, rejecting plans to redeploy them elsewhere.
While NARD remains open to dialogue and has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for decisive intervention, they warn that unless concrete action is taken, the planned industrial action will proceed, potentially causing significant disruption to healthcare services nationwide.
Dr. Mujitaba Umar, President of the UDUTH chapter, described the situation as "difficult but unavoidable," while the chapter's General Secretary, Dr. Muhammad Abdulrahman Hassan, urged the Federal Government to act swiftly "in the interest of the Nigerian populace and the healthcare system."
