From Mustapha Yauri
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Chapter, has announced its decision to join the nationwide indefinite strike scheduled to commence on Jan. 12, over the Federal Government’s failure to meet agreed demands.
The Chapter President, Dr. Haruna-Saleh Usman, made this known through the Vice-President of the association, Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim, during a press conference held in Zaria on Friday.
Ibrahim said that in addition to downing tools, the ABUTH Chapter would embark on picketing and peaceful protests within the hospital premises.
He explained that the decision followed a congress meeting where members unanimously endorsed the strike action.
“This press conference is to further press home our demands after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NARD and the Federal Government, which had clear timelines for implementation,” he said.
According to him, NARD embarked on a nationwide strike on Nov. 1, 2025, after extensive consultations, which culminated in the signing of an MoU on Nov. 29, 2025.
The MoU, he noted, was based on 19 demands bordering on welfare, remuneration and professional practice issues affecting resident doctors nationwide.
Ibrahim said one of the key provisions of the MoU, with a two-week implementation timeline, was the reinstatement of disengaged resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, Kogi State.
“Unfortunately, these members have not been reinstated. Instead, the government is attempting to redeploy them to other hospitals, contrary to the clear provisions of the MoU,” he said.
He explained that many of the affected doctors were already advanced in their residency programmes and due for examinations, stressing that redeployment would force them to restart their training.
“We consider this an injustice and unacceptable,” he added.
Ibrahim also faulted delays in forwarding compiled promotion arrears owed to resident doctors in some institutions to the Budget Office and the Federal Ministry of Finance for payment.
He further said that the full implementation of the approved professional allowance table, including accrued arrears, remained unachieved and was not captured in the 2026 national budget.
The association, he said, also expressed concern over continued ambiguity surrounding skipping and entry-level placement, urging the Federal Ministry of Health to issue clear directives to chief executives of health institutions and other relevant stakeholders.
According to him, the decision of the ABUTH Chapter to re-join the nationwide strike was due to the Federal Government’s failure to demonstrate “clear, concrete and genuine commitment” to the implementation of the MoU.
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