The National Industrial Court in Abuja has allegedly issued an interim injunction restraining the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) from proceeding with its nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12, 2026. The ruling was delivered on Friday, January 9, following an ex-parte application filed by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Presiding Judge, Justice Benedict Kanyip, ordered the doctors to maintain the “status quo ante bellum” (which In a legal setting, it is a directive used by a judge to ensure that everyone stops what they are doing and return to the way things were before the dispute started) pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit. The government argued that a total shutdown of the health sector would cause “irreparable damage to public health” and create a national emergency. The doctors had threatened to down tools over the non-implementation of the 2024 Memorandum of Understanding, which included demands for the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and the payment of outstanding arrears.
Following the court order, the leadership of NARD has scheduled an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting for Saturday to deliberate on their legal options. While the Federal Government has invited the association for a fresh round of negotiations, the Ministry of Health warned that any defiance of the court order would be treated as contempt. For now, all resident doctors have been directed to remain at their duty posts to ensure uninterrupted medical services across the country.
