THE National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja has issued an order restraining the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and its members from proceeding with the strike scheduled to begin on January 12, 2026.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim gave the directive today while ruling on a motion ex parte filed by the Federal Government and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The application was argued by the Director of Civil Litigation at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Maimuna Lami Shiru, who led a team of government lawyers.
Named as respondents in the suit are NARD, its National President, Dr. Mohammad Suleman, and the association’s Secretary General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim.
The court order follows NARD’s January 3 announcement that it would resume its Total, Indefinite and Complete Strike (TICS 2.0) from January 12, citing the Federal Government’s failure to implement agreements reached with the association.
According to NARD, the decision was taken during an Emergency National Executive Council meeting held on January 2.
The association said the planned strike was a response to missed deadlines by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding previously signed with resident doctors.
As part of its preparations, NARD had directed presidents of its 91 centres nationwide to hold congress meetings, address the media, and organise centre-based protests between January 12 and January 16, followed by regional and national demonstrations.
NARD maintained that the strike would only be suspended after the full implementation of its minimum demands.
These include the reinstatement of five resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja; payment of promotion and salary arrears; full implementation of the professional allowance table with arrears captured in the 2026 budget; and the resolution of outstanding issues relating to allowances, salaries, certification, work-hour regulations, and collective bargaining.
The association had earlier suspended a 29-day indefinite strike on November 29 after signing the MoU with the government, which committed to meeting its demands within four weeks.