Resident doctors at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto State, have declared their full support for the nationwide indefinite strike announced by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12, 2026.

The resolution followed an Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held virtually on January 2, which reviewed the status of agreements earlier reached between NARD and the Federal Government through the Ministries of Health and Labour.

Briefing journalists in Sokoto, the UDUTH chapter said the review revealed “persistent failures” by the government to honor critical commitments relating to welfare, training, and remuneration.

The unresolved issues include the non-reinstatement of five resident doctors disengaged from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja; unpaid promotion and salary arrears; partial implementation of the Professional Allowance Table; withheld Specialist Allowance for eligible doctors; ambiguity in skipping and entry-level placement; delayed House Officers’ salaries and arrears; re-categorization of MDCN certificates; and delays in issuing postgraduate training certificates.

NARD is demanding the immediate reinstatement of the affected Lokoja doctors, settlement of accumulated arrears, full implementation of allowances, resolution of training and certification hurdles, and urgent intervention to improve facilities in teaching and specialist centers nationwide.

“With the government failing to demonstrate concrete commitment, the Council resolved to commence a total, comprehensive, and indefinite withdrawal of services from 12:00 p.m. on Monday, January 12,” the communiqué stated, directing resident doctors across 91 tertiary institutions to withdraw their services completely.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) UDUTH President, Dr. Mujitaba Umar, described the strike decision as “Difficult but unavoidable,” warning that prolonged neglect of agreements was “undermining both doctor welfare and public health delivery.”

The chapter’s General Secretary, Dr. Muhammad Abdulrahman Hassan, appealed to the government to act swiftly “in the interest of the Nigerian populace and the healthcare system.”