The National Association of Resident Doctors has suspended its proposed nationwide strike after receiving what it described as concrete commitments and clear timelines from the Federal Government on the implementation of long-standing agreements affecting its members.

The decision was announced by the President of the association, Dr Mohammed Suleiman, during an appearance on AIT’s Morning Show, Kakaaki, on Monday, where he explained that the suspension followed an intense week of engagements with key government institutions.

According to Suleiman, the engagements involved the Ministries of Labour, Health and Finance, the Budget Office, the National Assembly and the Vice President, all of whom played roles in addressing the association’s demands.

He detailed the series of meetings held throughout the week, saying, “We had a series of engagements on Tuesday. The Minister of Labour called us for a conciliation meeting together with the Minister of Health. On Wednesday, we visited the Minister of Health. We sat down and itemised all the issues. On Thursday, the Minister of State for Health re-invited us, and we had further conversations.”

Suleiman disclosed that one of the major grievances, involving doctors allegedly unjustly disengaged in Lokoja, had been resolved alongside other outstanding issues.

He said, “With respect to our members who were unjustly terminated in Lokoja, it has been finalised that they are returning. On the issue of our professional allowance table, which has been corrected.”

The NARD president further revealed that assurances had been obtained from the National Assembly regarding the inclusion of several outstanding financial obligations in the 2026 federal budget.

He said, “We have received assurances, even from the National Assembly, which were part and parcel of these engagements, that these will be captured in the 2026 budget. The Director-General of the Budget Office has also assured us that they have been able to capture it.”

Suleiman added that the Ministry of Health had taken formal steps to ensure immediate implementation of some of the agreed items by writing to the Office of the Accountant-General.

According to him, “The Ministry of Health has communicated in writing officially to the Office of the Accountant-General that this should be implemented this month, this January.”

Addressing concerns about excessive workload and appointment policies, particularly in Lokoja, Suleiman said a joint committee had been established to address these challenges.

He noted, “With respect to the committees to look at Lokoja appointment policies and excess workload, doctors working endlessly, taking calls in and out, the committee has been set up, and we are fully represented. Meetings are about to start.”

Progress, he said, had also been recorded on issues surrounding residency training and certification, which had previously generated concern among members.

He explained, “On our membership certificate, we have sat down and looked at the issues. The Medical and Dental Council, the National Postgraduate Medical College and NARD will sit down. That committee has also been constituted to resolve the issue.”

Suleiman also disclosed that arrears arising from delayed promotions and salary shortfalls across several teaching hospitals had been compiled and forwarded for payment.

He said, “Medical officers have been promoted year in, year out without promotion arrears going back to 2020. That compilation has been transmitted to finance, and we have engaged the Minister of State for Finance, who assured us it will receive the necessary attention.”

The affected institutions, according to him, include “UUTH, UUI, FMCO, OAUTHC, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital and the University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital.”

He added that some doctors in these institutions were owed between four and 20 months of arrears.

“These have been captured and forwarded to the DG Budget and the Minister of Finance. We are in conversations that these issues will receive the necessary attention as soon as possible,” he said.

On the controversial 40, 25 and 35 per cent arrears affecting thousands of doctors, Suleiman said the process of payment was already underway and nearing completion.

He stated, “Almost 3,000 of our members are to receive these arrears. The Minister of Labour has written to the Minister of Finance and the Accountant-General, calling the attention of IPPIS to ensure that since the money is available and everything has been cross-checked, these monies are paid within the next one or two weeks.”

Suleiman stressed that the association agreed to suspend the strike based strictly on clear timelines agreed during the engagements.

“There are key timelines. We are looking at it from now till about two weeks to review the state of implementation of these agreements,” he said.

He identified the intervention of Vice President Kashim Shettima as a critical turning point in resolving the impasse between the doctors and the government.

According to him, “The number two citizen of the country invited us, all these issues were x-rayed, and he took it upon himself to ensure that all relevant agencies are brought into the conversation so these items are implemented to the satisfaction of our members.”

Explaining what changed between earlier scepticism and the eventual suspension of the strike, Suleiman attributed the shift to sustained engagement and public support.

He said, “From the time we set out to agitate, no one ever said our demands were illegitimate or that we were asking for too much. These are old agreements.”

He added, “The seriousness with which Nigerians came to our aid and the seriousness with which the media took up the matter sent the right message.”

Despite the progress recorded, Suleiman warned that the union’s patience was conditional on government action matching its promises.

“It is now left for us to see that government follows its words with action over the next one or two weeks. Some actions are already taking place, and we have follow-ups today, tomorrow and hopefully Wednesday,” he said.

Beyond the immediate agreements, the NARD president painted a grim picture of the Nigerian health sector, highlighting the scale of doctor migration from the country.

He revealed, “We lost about 4,700 doctors in 2024 alone, while we produce just about 2,000 to 3,000 doctors yearly. In the next 10 years, we are likely to lose over 10,000 doctors.”

Suleiman identified poor infrastructure and the high cost of power supply as major challenges undermining effective healthcare delivery in federal teaching hospitals.

He said, “A federal teaching hospital can have electricity bills of ₦60 million to ₦100 million monthly. It is not sustainable. Emergencies are sometimes planned around when generators are on, and that affects patient care.”

He also decried the excessive working hours endured by resident doctors across the country.

“An average resident doctor works about 106 hours a week; some do up to 120 hours — over 450 hours a month. This is not compatible with decent human life,” he said, comparing the situation with the United Kingdom’s 48-hour weekly work cap.

While expressing cautious optimism, Suleiman reiterated that the union would not hesitate to reassess its position if government commitments were not fulfilled.

“If we don’t see movement in the right direction in the next few weeks, the National Executive Council will reassess the situation,” he said.

He concluded by thanking the media for its role in amplifying the concerns of resident doctors across the country.

“Nigerians need to appreciate the work you do in bringing these issues to the forefront so solutions can be found,” he added.