By Newspointer News Desk
January 10, 2026
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting in Abuja has barred the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) from embarking on its planned strike.
The court, in an ex parte order granted on Monday, restrained the association, its officers and members from commencing any form of industrial action pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice.
The order followed an application filed by the Federal Government through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, which argued that a strike by resident doctors would severely disrupt essential healthcare services and endanger public safety.
In his ruling, the presiding judge held that resident doctors perform critical functions in public hospitals and that any withdrawal of services could have grave consequences for patients nationwide.
The court subsequently fixed a date for the hearing of the substantive matter and directed all parties to maintain the status quo.
Resident doctors had earlier threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over issues including unpaid salary arrears, inadequate hazard allowances and poor working conditions in public hospitals.
As at press time, the leadership of NARD had yet to issue an official response to the court order, while the Federal Ministry of Health said efforts were ongoing to resolve the dispute through dialogue.
