Abia Resident Doctors to Join Nationwide Strike from January 12
Resident doctors at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, under the Abia State chapter of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), have announced that they will fully participate in the ongoing nationwide industrial action scheduled to resume on January 12, 2026.
The decision was reached after an extraordinary general meeting of the Association of Resident Doctors, FMC Umuahia, held on Thursday, January 8, 2026, where members reviewed recent developments surrounding negotiations between NARD and the Federal Government.
Speaking during a press briefing on Friday, the Abia State President of NARD, Dr. Alaede Godwin, explained that the meeting was convened “to review the NARD decision based on the memorandum of understanding freely entered into between it and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare as well as the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, arising from NARD’s 19th demands which addressed critical welfare remuneration and professional practice issue affecting our members nationwide”.
Dr. Alaede confirmed that resident doctors in FMC Umuahia would comply with the directive issued by the association’s National Executive Council (NEC). He said,
“As a member of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), we will join the indefinite strike action resuming January 12, 2026. This decisive action follows the recent meeting of NARD’s National Executive Council (NEC), which resolved to take this drastic step due to the federal government’s persistent failure to address our legitimate demands.”
According to him, the decision followed prolonged engagements with the government that have yielded little or no concrete outcomes.
He stated, “Despite extensive negotiations and the signing of memorandum of understanding, our concerns remain unaddressed, leaving us with no choice but to withdraw our services.”
The NARD president in Abia stressed that the action was taken with deep concern for patients but insisted that the association could no longer overlook unresolved welfare and professional issues. “We want to emphasise that this action is not taken lightly, and we regret any inconvenience it may cause the public.
However, we are compelled to stand up for the protracted neglect of the welfare of our members and the future of medical practice in Nigeria in terms of personnel and infrastructure,” he added.
Dr. Alaede further revealed that during the NEC meeting held on January 2, 2026, the council observed that the conduct of the Federal Government and its agencies was “at variance with, albeit contrary to the clear and unambiguous memorandum of understanding signed before the initial strike was suspended”.
He noted that the NEC outlined several resolutions, including demands for “immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the five doctors at the FTH Lokoja in line with the recommendation of the duly constituted committee, immediate transmission of the compiled promotional arrears owed to resident doctors across several institutions to the budget office and federal ministry of finance for prompt processing and payment and immediate transmission of the compiled salary arrears owed to resident doctors in affected institutions to the budget office and the federal ministry of finance for urgent processing and payment”.
Quoting directly from the NEC resolutions, Alaede said, “NEC, after exhaustive deliberations and in view of the federal governments failure to honour the memorandum of understanding (MOU) freely entered into to address the legitimate demands of the Nigerian Association Of Resident Doctors, hereby resolves that the previously suspended total comprehensive and indefinite strike will resume with effect on the 12th January at 12:00am (midnight).”
He added that, “Hence, all members of the association in all the 91 tertiary health institution for which FMC Umuahia is inclusive are directed to withdraw their services completely and indefinitely, until the federal government and affected state governments demonstrate clear, concrete and genuine commitments to addressing the association demand.”
Despite the hardline stance, the association said it remains open to negotiations. “We are, however, open to dialogue and willing to reconsider our position if the government demonstrates a genuine commitment to addressing our concerns. We urge the federal government to take immediate action to resolve this impasse,” the NEC stated.
Dr. Alaede concluded by assuring the public that resident doctors remain committed to the health sector, even as they push for their rights, saying, “we won’t compromise on our rights. We’re ready to work with the government to find a lasting solution.”
