The Digest:
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared an indefinite nationwide strike and a series of escalating protests, set to commence on January 12, 2026, citing the government's persistent failure to meet their core welfare and professional demands.
Key Points:
- NARD announced the strike will begin at 12:00 am on Monday, January 12, following an emergency national executive council meeting.
- The association has directed all 91 of its local branches to hold press conferences within the next week to publicly outline their grievances and "saturate the spaces."
- A three-phase protest plan is scheduled: centre-based protests (Jan 12-16), regional protests, and a final national demonstration organized by NARD's national officers.
- Nine minimum demands must be fully met before the strike, dubbed "TICS 2.0," will be suspended.
- Key demands include the reinstatement of five doctors in Lokoja, payment of all promotion and salary arrears, and the full implementation of the corrected professional allowance table.
- Other issues are the reintroduction of the specialist allowance, the resolution of house officers’ salary delays, and the conclusion of the stalled Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process.
- NARD stated the one-week lead time is for internal consultations, media engagement, and statutory notifications to security agencies and hospital managements.
Sources: The Cable, Daily Trust
