Resident doctors across federal hospitals in Lagos and Ibadan on Friday fully complied with the five-day warning strike declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), leaving patients unattended and disrupting medical services.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, resident doctors were absent from duty. A similar situation was observed at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, where patients were left stranded at accident and emergency units, outpatient departments, and wards.

The strike action followed the expiration of a 24-hour ultimatum issued by NARD after its earlier 10-day deadline lapsed on September 10 without government response. The association’s demands include the release of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, the payment of five months’ arrears from the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, settlement of outstanding specialist and hazard allowances, and improved welfare provisions.
President of the Association of Resident Doctors at LUTH, Dr. Benjamin Uyi, stressed that the government needed to urgently resolve the outstanding issues to ensure the doctors could return to work.
“Any doctor whose welfare is not met is already a risk to the patients. For any doctor to function optimally, his or her physical, mental health, and psychosocial needs must be balanced. The doctors are already burnt out and faced with excessive workload and work schedule, and the government is yet to prioritise their welfare,” Uyi said.

At the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, President of the resident doctors, Dr. Babatunde Egberongbe, described the recurring strikes as “unfortunate,” noting that the government’s handling of welfare issues was fueling the migration of medical practitioners abroad.
“The poor working conditions for the doctors are the major reason why many of them are leaving the country to practise abroad. Presently, there are limited number of doctors in hospitals across the country, yet the government has not deemed it necessary to prioritise their welfare and demands. Let the government, as a matter of urgency, address our demands, because we are not asking for anything extraordinary,” Egberongbe said.

In Ibadan, UCH resident doctors also withdrew their services. Patients at the accident and emergency unit were denied admission, while outpatient consultations were suspended from 8 a.m.

President of the Association of Resident Doctors at UCH, Dr. Gboyega Ajibola, confirmed the action, explaining that it was to press home demands that had been repeatedly ignored.
“The demands that we have been talking about are about five, which are the unpaid 2025 medical residency training funds to over 2,000 of our members across the geopolitical zones of the country, the salary arrears of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) Review of 2023, and unpaid 2024 equipment allowance,” Ajibola said.

He also cited delays in the recognition and issuance of postgraduate medical certificates by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

Ajibola drew attention to prolonged strikes by resident doctors in Kaduna and Oyo States, noting that their grievances included delayed implementation of the 2024 CONMESS salary scale, the non-payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund, and inadequate staffing.
“The resident doctors in Kaduna State have been on an industrial action since August 1, and their demand is that they should be paid on the 2024 CONMESS scale like their counterparts in other parts of Nigeria. Also, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, resident doctors have also been on an indefinite strike since August 1 on the demand of implementation of the minimum wage that has been implemented for other workers in Oyo State. They have not received the Medical Residency Training Fund at all. They also claim that they are short-staffed and need more manpower, thereby calling on government to employ more resident doctors,” he said.

NARD stated that the warning strike would last for five days but could be suspended if the government addressed its minimum demands.