Doctors begin three-day strike in Abuja, shut hospitals

Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD FCTA) has commenced a three-day warning strike over unpaid salaries, allowances, and other demands.

The strike has grounded activities in government hospitals in Abuja.

The President of ARD FCTA, Dr George Ebong, disclosed this in a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ebong said the strike came after a three-week ultimatum issued last year by the doctors elapsed.

Ebong decried the neglect of hospitals and doctors’ welfare in the nation’s capital.

He stressed that doctors in Abuja have become abandoned projects, calling on the Minister of FCT, Nyesome Wike, to intervene to avoid an indefinite shutdown of hospitals.

According to him, the decision to embark on the three-day warning strike is a fallout from its members’ Congress held on Tuesday.

“The three-day strike is being implemented across all government hospitals in Abuja. From Wuse to Asokoro, Maitama, Kubwa, Zuba, Kwali, Abaji, and Nyanya, and other all of our hospitals in Abuja,” he said.

“We gave the government a three-week ultimatum to meet our demands, and after that we met with them and dialogued on several occasions. They pleaded for two weeks, but after that elapsed, nothing has been done. Not even the minimum thing. We expected them to pay for the six months of unpaid arrears to doctors.

“Honestly, doctors have been abandoned projects. Just as the roads are being constructed, the welfare of doctors should be considered by the minister.

“After this three-day strike, we will do an appraisal. If nothing is done, we will go on an indefinite strike.

“We want the Minister of FCT to solve this problem to avert an indefinite shutdown of the hospitals in Abuja,” he said during the press briefing on Wednesday.

“We are striking because we have no other choice. This is not just about salaries or allowances. it is about ensuring that our hospitals can function, that we can work with dignity, and that patients can receive the care they deserve.

“Many believe doctors are always demanding money, but this is not about greed—it’s about survival. No Nigerian can go six months without pay. No professional should work 36-72 hour shifts without rest because there are no replacements.

Recall that in December 2024, the ARD FCTA had warned of an impending shutdown over failure to meet its demands.