Justice Emmanuel Subilim, of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja, has issued an order restraining the National Association of Resident Doctors, (NARD), and its members from embarking on the strike scheduled to commence on January 12.
The judge made the order yesterday, while ruling on a Motion ex-parte filed by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The ruling followed 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. 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. Shu’aibu Ibrahim.
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.
In a statement issued by its president, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, the association said the decision was taken at an Emergency National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held on January 2.
The association said 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.
As part of preparations for the renewed action, the NEC directed presidents of all 91 NARD centres nationwide to hold congress meetings and subsequently address the media.
“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.
NARD said the plan was to hold 91 press conferences across the country within seven days to draw attention to doctors’ welfare concerns. The association also announced that centre-based protests would take place from January 12 to January 16, 2026.
According to the association, the suspension of TICS 2.0 would only be considered after the full implementation of its minimum demands.
NARD had earlier suspended its indefinite strike on November 29, after 29 days of industrial action, following the signing of the MoU with the government. The MoU committed the Government to meet the association’s demands within four weeks.
