The strike declared by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, scheduled to begin today, April 7, 2026, is already threatening to disrupt services across federal and state-owned hospitals nationwide.
Resident doctors in Nigeria have gone on strike for a total of 51 days since President Bola Tinubu took office, raising new concerns about the government’s ability to maintain agreements with health workers.
The amount, which includes two major strikes and a warning action between 2023 and 2025, comes as physicians have once again announced plans to go on strike beginning today over unpaid allowances and policy changes.
The immediate cause of the fresh strike is the federal government’s stated decision to delay the implementation of the amended Professional Allowance Table, a critical component of a post-2025 strike agreement.
In its most recent statement, NARD described the decision as “unfortunate” and accused the government of pressuring doctors into another needless industrial action.
Following deliberations on the policy move, the association’s National Executive Council decided to launch a “total and comprehensive strike.”
NARD is requesting an immediate reversal of the decision to halt the allowance table, payment of promotion and salary arrears, settlement of 19 months of outstanding allowance arrears, and the release of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund.
The Professional Allowance Table, which standardizes payments like call duty, shift allowances, and other work-related incentives, is at the heart of the issue.
An examination of resident doctor strikes dating back to May 2023 reveals a pattern of recurring disputes.
In August 2023, the association went on strike for 17 days.
The 2023 strike was primarily motivated by welfare issues and the poor economic situations that doctors face in Nigeria.
After the president removed fuel subsidies on May 29, 2023, the cost of living increased significantly across the country.
However, resident doctors reported that their salaries were not adjusted to reflect the new reality, making it difficult for them to meet basic needs.
They also complained about poor welfare, including inadequate and sometimes delayed allowances, as well as inadequate funding for transportation.
Another key cause was the rising dearth of medical personnel as a result of Nigerian doctors migrating abroad in pursuit of better prospects.
This tendency greatly increased the burden for those who stayed in the country, resulting in stress, burnout, and low morale in the health sector.
The strike, which began on July 26, 2023, was linked to broader complaints about bad working conditions, including inadequate hospital infrastructure and the government’s reluctance to fully implement earlier agreements with the union.
After approximately 17 days of industrial action, the strike was called off on August 12, 2023, following agreements between NARD and the federal government.
The doctors went on a five-day warning strike in September 2025. This was followed by an all-out strike in November 2025. The strike continued for 29 days.
The current crisis stems from the 2025 agreement between NARD and the federal government, which came after a lengthy strike.
That agreement established a redesigned allowance structure intended at enhancing doctors’ welfare, including increased pay for call duty, shifts, and remote postings.
Implementation was previously set for January 2026 but was later moved to February. However, doctors stated that the technique was unreliable and had been terminated.
As of the time of reporting this story, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has not issued an official statement regarding NARD’s scheduled strike.
Speaking with our correspondent on Monday, NARD Secretary General Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim stated that the association would consider suspending the strike if the government reversed its decision.
“When many people say we should start the strike immediately, we say no, this is a public holiday; let us give them time to reverse the instruction, and once they give that reverse instruction, whether they communicate to us or they do not communicate to us, we will know.”
Ibrahim further stated that the situation was not limited to resident doctors but extended to other types of healthcare workers in the industry.
Chinedu Moghalu, Senior Special Adviser to the Minister of Health, has not responded to inquiries submitted to him as of the time of filing this article.
Meanwhile, the Abia State chapter of NARD has announced that it will follow the national instruction to go on strike on Tuesday.
According to the state president, Dr. Godwin Alaede, following its congress in Umuahia on Monday, the branch stated, “We are completely prepared to go on an indefinite strike by midnight.”
Dr. Alaede stated that when doctors are highly compensated, they will perform well.
He stated that the doctors were concerned about the situation of the patients and that “we regret any inconveniences it (the strike) will cause to anyone who may be affected.”
He did, however, ensure that medical consultants and nurses would cover the gap.
He stated that NARD in the state would conduct another congress on Tuesday to discuss any agreement that may result from the national-level meeting with the federal government on Monday.
