Court bars resident doctors from going on planned strike

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja, has stopped the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, and its members from embarking on the strike scheduled to commence on January 12.

Justice Emmanuel Subilim gave the order of restraint on Friday while ruling on a motion ex parte filed by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

This follows submissions by the Director of Civil Litigation at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Maimuna Lami Shiru, who led a team of ministry lawyers in moving the motion.

DAILY POST reports that those listed as respondents to the motion and defendants in the substantive suit are NARD, its National President, Dr. Mohammad Suleman, and the association’s Secretary-General, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim.

Recall that on January 3, NARD announced plans to resume its Total, Indefinite, and Complete Strike (TICS 2.0) from January 12, citing the Federal Government’s failure to implement agreements reached with the association.

A statement by its president, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, said the decision was taken at an Emergency National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held on January 2.

NARD stressed that the planned strike was an inevitable consequence of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government’s failure to meet multiple deadlines for implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with resident doctors.

“The National Officers’ Committee appreciates your patience, resilience, and continued support in our collective struggle for doctors’ welfare.

“Following the E-NEC meeting, the following resolutions were reached: the NEC resolved to resume TICS 2.0, tagged ‘No Implementation, No Going Back,’ with effect from January 12, 2026, at 12:00 a.m.

“NEC has also mandated every centre president across the 91 centres to hold congress meetings and, at the conclusion, address the media,” the statement read.