Resident doctors launch 5-Day warning strike across Nigeria

Resident doctors across Nigeria started a nationwide warning strike on Friday, September 12, 2025, at 8:00 a.m., an exercise that will continue until Tuesday, September 16, 2025. The strike came in accordance with the expiration of the 24-hour ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to respond to their outstanding demands. The strike was declared by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) following its National Executive Council (NEC) virtual meeting on the 10th and 11th of September.

The NEC said that it had initially issued a 10-day ultimatum to the government to act on key welfare and remuneration issues being experienced by its members. The association added that it extended the deadline by a further 24 hours after promises from the authorities, but since those promises did not see action being taken, it had no choice but to proceed with the strike.

Demands and key issues behind the strike

At the center of the controversy is the non-payment of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to eligible doctors across the country. The organization also complained of the non-payment of arrears due to the 25 to 35 percent review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and the non-payment of the 2024 accoutrement allowance.

NARD also highlighted delayed payment of specialist allowances, reinstatement of recognition of West African postgraduate membership certificates, and immediate issuance of certificates to deserving candidates by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

Resident doctors also protested against working conditions in some institutions, such as the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, and Kaduna State hospitals, and called for immediate measures to address welfare problems of their members in those environments.

The strike will cause devastation to the nation’s health system, considering that resident doctors make up a majority of the medical staff, especially in the teaching hospitals, federal medical centers, and emergency departments. In Lagos, certain federal hospitals had already complied with the strike order on Friday morning, and several patients were left stranded and procedures and consultations rescheduled.

Government’s position and next steps

The Federal Ministry of Health has admitted NARD’s complaints. Minister of State for Health, Dr. Isaq Salako, stated that negotiation with the association was in process prior to the strike. He conceded that approximately 40 percent of the MRTF allocation remained unpaid but gave assurance that arrangements were being made to release the funds. NARD, on its part, insisted that even those pledges were not met within the given time, calling for the continuing industrial action.

NARD President Dr. Tope Osundara said the decision to go ahead with the strike was a collective one after taking into consideration the government’s response at the NEC meeting. He emphasized the strike was a warning action aimed at drawing immediate attention to issues which have been pending for months and affecting not only the well-being of doctors but healthcare delivery in general in Nigeria.

The body stated that it still remains open to negotiating and will cancel the strike in case the federal government moves on its demands before the Tuesday deadline. Meanwhile, the majority of regular services in federal and teaching hospitals are expected to be left partly shut, with consultants and house officers being forced to handle emergency cases.

This five-day warning strike is the most recent in a series of resident doctors’ industrial action within the last few years, reflective of periodic strain between healthcare workers and the government on matters of remuneration, training support, and conditions of service. The success of this negotiation round may determine whether or not the warning strike escalates into a full-scale national action should the concerns not be met following September 16.