The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued a four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to fully implement outstanding agreements on salaries, allowances, and welfare, even as it extended the suspension of its Total Indefinite Comprehensive Strike (TICS).
The decision was taken at the association’s January National Executive Council (NEC) meeting and scientific conference, held between January 25 and 29, 2026, in Jos, Plateau State.
In a communiqué jointly signed by the NARD President, Mohammad Suleiman; Secretary-General, Shuaibu Ibrahim; and Publicity and Social Secretary, Abdulmajid Ibrahim, the association said the extension of the strike suspension was a goodwill gesture in recognition of what it described as progress made by the Federal Government.
“In recognition of the progress made by the Federal Government towards addressing the legitimate demands of Nigerian resident doctors, the NEC has resolved to extend the suspension of the Total Indefinite Comprehensive Strike for a further period of four weeks,” the communiqué stated.
NARD expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, and other stakeholders for their roles in ongoing engagements with the association.
The NEC meeting, NARD’s first statutory gathering for the year, was held alongside a scientific conference in Jos on January 27. The conference was themed ‘Innovating for Equity: Technology as a Bridge between Poverty and Health’.
Following deliberations, the NEC acknowledged the reinstatement of disengaged doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, and commended the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, as well as the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), on the outstanding 25 per cent and 35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and accoutrement allowance arrears.
According to the communiqué, IPPIS assured the association that efforts were ongoing to clear the arrears within two weeks. NARD also said that promotion and salary arrears had been forwarded to the appropriate authorities, with assurances from the Minister of Finance that payments would be expedited.
However, the association expressed concern over delays in circulating the directive affirming CONMESS 3 as the approved entry level for medical doctors. It also decried the non-payment of the professional allowance provided for in the 2026 Appropriation Act, as well as persistent salary arrears across several health institutions.
NARD further warned of deteriorating industrial relations at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and called for urgent intervention. It also renewed its demands for improved welfare, the timely release of training funds, and increased investment in health infrastructure nationwide.
