The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced a nationwide strike beginning at 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 7 April 2026, citing the federal government’s suspension of the Professional Allowance Table (PAT) and failure to meet longstanding financial obligations to its members.
In a communiqué issued after a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held virtually on Saturday, 4 April, and obtained by ENigeria Newpaper NARD described the government’s decision on the PAT as “unfortunate” and a major setback to efforts to improve the welfare of resident doctors. The statement was signed by NARD Secretary-General, Shuaibu Ibrahim.
The association outlined key demands as conditions for suspending the strike, including the immediate reversal of the decision to discontinue the PAT from April 2026, payment of promotion and salary arrears owed to doctors in affected centres, and the prompt disbursement of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF).
NARD also demanded “the immediate payment of outstanding arrears of the professional allowance, which had accumulated over a period of 19 months,” urging members to “stand together in opposing the injustice and to ensure the matter is pursued to a proper conclusion.”
This planned strike continues a series of industrial actions that have repeatedly disrupted Nigeria’s public health sector. Last year, NARD embarked on a nationwide strike that lasted 29 days before being suspended following negotiations with the federal government. Earlier this year, another industrial action was launched over delayed salaries and arrears.
Recall that ENigeria Newspaper reports have shown that such strikes often leave patients as the hardest hit, with public hospitals scaling down services, postponing surgeries, and disrupting critical care.
Resident doctors internationally have also engaged in strike actions due to pay and working conditions. In Nigeria, resident doctors have taken strike action countless since March 2023, and this highlights that the profession faces recurring industrial disputes both locally and globally.
Nigeria’s healthcare sector faces yet another major obstacle with this impending strike, as unresolved financial complaints continue to create discontent among resident physicians.
