Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) has suspended its proposed nationwide strike that was scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12, 2026, following renewed engagements with the Federal Government.
The decision was announced by the North-Central caucus of the association after a series of consultations with government officials.
According to the caucus, the move was taken in the interest of patients while discussions on outstanding issues continue.
Speaking on the development, the caucus leader, Dr Fanen Dogoh, clarified that the suspension of the strike does not imply that the concerns raised by resident doctors have been resolved.
The resident doctors had earlier threatened industrial action over what they described as the Federal Government’s persistent failure to honour a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
A major demand of the association is the immediate reinstatement of doctors dismissed from the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Lokoja, over alleged unauthorised protests and union-related activities.
The doctors are also protesting the non-payment of salary arrears and allowances, including 18 months of outstanding entitlements owed to resident doctors in several federal institutions, notably the Federal Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, and the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
Other grievances include delays in salary payments for newly employed doctors, unpaid promotion arrears, and the failure to implement the reviewed professional allowance structure, which took effect in June 2024 but has yet to be reflected in the 2026 budget.
The association stated that it would continue to monitor ongoing discussions and warned that it may resume the strike if tangible steps are not taken to address the welfare concerns of resident doctors across the country.
