Nigeria resident doctors strike shelved after government agreement

After a three‑hour meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) agreed to suspend a planned nationwide strike. The meeting, convened by Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, was attended by the ministers of Labour, Health and Finance, the Director‑General of the Budget Office, the Accountant‑General and officials from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

NARD President Dr Muhammad Suleiman said the talks resolved key demands, including the payment of outstanding salary and promotion arrears, professional allowance arrears, and a one‑week timeline for implementing the call‑duty allowance at Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Agreements were also reached on timely payment of house officers’ salaries and on mechanisms to raise funds for the arrears. The association will decide on the final strike suspension after its National Executive Council reviews the commitments.