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The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued another nationwide strike notice, warning that its members will embark on an indefinite strike from 8:00 a.m. on August 10 if the Federal Government fails to address longstanding demands relating to unpaid arrears, welfare and poor working conditions.

The resolution was reached at the end of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Gombe from July 26 to 31, where delegates reviewed the implementation of previous agreements with the Federal Government and assessed challenges confronting the country’s health sector.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, NARD President, Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman, said the council was dissatisfied with what it described as the slow implementation of agreements reached with the government despite repeated engagements over the past several months.

He said the association had extended its strike ultimatum four times in the hope that the outstanding issues would be resolved, but regretted that many of the commitments remained unfulfilled.

Among its key demands, NARD called for the immediate payment of outstanding 25–35 per cent CONMESS salary review arrears, the 19-month professional allowance arrears, promotion arrears and salary arrears owed to doctors in several federal health institutions.

The affected institutions, according to the association, include the University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Okuki; Federal Medical Centre, Owo; Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife; University of Uyo Teaching Hospital; Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri; Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki; Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi; and other federal hospitals.

The association also condemned the growing cases of assault, harassment, intimidation and attacks on doctors and other healthcare workers while on duty, describing the trend as a serious threat to Nigeria’s already overstretched health system.

It urged the Federal Government to establish a National Healthcare Workers Assault Prevention and Response Protocol and called on the National Assembly to enact legislation criminalising attacks on healthcare personnel.

While commending the Federal Government for releasing the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund, NARD demanded the immediate payment of eligible resident doctors who were omitted from the initial disbursement.

The council also expressed concern over the worsening welfare of house officers, citing prolonged salary delays, unpaid arrears and persistent bottlenecks in internship placement and onboarding, which it said force many newly employed doctors to work for weeks or months before receiving their first salaries.

NARD further demanded the speedy conclusion and implementation of the Medical and Health Workers Collective Bargaining Agreement, the implementation of recommendations aimed at addressing excessive workload and manpower shortages, and urgent intervention by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in the industrial dispute at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

The association also urged the Federal Government and state governments to increase investment in healthcare through improved funding, rehabilitation of health facilities, provision of modern medical equipment, uninterrupted electricity supply, recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, and accelerated implementation of universal health coverage.

It also appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration, the Kaduna State Government and the management of affected federal tertiary hospitals to resolve outstanding salary, welfare and training issues involving resident doctors.

NARD warned that unless its demands are substantially addressed before August 10, resident doctors across the country would commence a total and indefinite strike.

The association linked many of the unresolved welfare issues to the growing exodus of Nigerian doctors, noting that more than 16,000 medical doctors have left the country in the last three to four years in search of better remuneration and working conditions abroad.

It warned that the number of doctors leaving the country now far exceeds the number graduating annually from medical schools, a trend it said poses a grave threat to healthcare delivery if urgent steps are not taken to reverse it.

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President Bola Tinubu has endorsed the immediate dismantling of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties.

The president directed that all matters relating to the activities of the Committee will henceforth be coordinated by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

On March 22, 2001, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the establishment of a panel of inquiry to produce a White Paper to guide the implementation of its recommendations.

The panel worked for 21 months before submitting its report.

The presidency, in a statement by Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, after careful consideration, the government had noted that the activities of the PIC had extended beyond its original mandate, resulting in multiple litigations across the country, and the continued existence of the committee was no longer justified.

“Accordingly, the President directed the dissolution of the PIC and that the Attorney General of the Federation coordinate its activities with effect from November 5, 2025.

“Following the President’s directive, the PIC stands dissolved, and the erstwhile Secretary, B. S. Dutsin-Ma, is hereby further directed to cease acting on behalf of the committee and the Federal Government on related matters.

The PIC was established in 2000 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to oversee the privatisation, sale, and lease of Federal Government landed assets under the government’s monetisation policy.

Its membership comprised the then Minister of Housing as chairperson, alongside representatives from the ministries of transportation, justice, health, agriculture, and the Nigeria Police Force.

Then a Deputy Director in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, P. T. Ahire, served as the pioneer Secretary.

Other members were drawn from both the public and private sectors.

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The Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, has finally regained freedom after being released by the Osun State Police Command.

Igbalaiye’s release was announced by the spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, the campaign organisation for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid, Pelumi Olajengbesi.

Olajengbesi disclosed the development in a post on his verified Facebook page on Thursday.

He expressed appreciation to the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, for responding to public calls and facilitating the release of the SSG following what he described as an unlawful arrest.

Olajengbesi stated that the Nigeria Police Force serves the nation best when it upholds justice, the rule of law and resists oppression.

He also welcomed Igbalaiye back, describing his release as a victory, and commended what he called the SSG’s courage and sacrifice for the people of Osun State.