The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors’ planned strike, which is set to begin today, April 7, 2026, is already posing a threat to the nation’s federal and state-owned hospitals.
According to reports, since the start of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, resident doctors in Nigeria have embarked on strike actions for a total of 51 days, raising fresh concerns about the government’s capacity to uphold agreements with healthcare professionals.
The figure, which includes two major strikes and a warning action between 2023 and 2025, comes as doctors once again announced plans to down tools starting from today over unpaid allowances and policy reversals.
It was gathered that the immediate trigger for the most recent strike is the Federal Government’s reported decision to halt the implementation of the revised Professional Allowance Table, a key component of an agreement reached after the 2025 strike.
In its most recent statement, the resident doctors association described the action as “unfortunate” and warned that the government was pressuring physicians to participate in yet another needless strike.
NARD said its National Executive Council resolved to embark on a “total and comprehensive strike” following deliberations over the policy shift.
READ ALSO: NARD to Begin Indefinite Strike Tuesday Amid Healthcare Crisis
The resident doctors are requesting that the decision to halt the allowance table be immediately reversed, that salary and promotion arrears be paid, that 19 months’ worth of unpaid allowance arrears be settled, and that the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund be released.
Recall that the resident doctors embarked on a 5-days warning strike in September 2025. This was followed by a full-blown 29-days strike in November of the same year.
The primary cause of the current crisis lie stems from the 2025 agreement between NARD and the Federal Government, which followed a prolonged strike.
That agreement introduced the revised allowance structure aimed at improving doctors’ welfare, including enhanced payments for call duty, shifts, and rural postings.
The original January 2026 implementation date was eventually changed to February 2026. Doctors, however, said that the procedure had been inconsistent and had been stopped.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has not made an official statement concerning the planned strike by NARD.
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