On Tuesday, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) sent a strike notice to the Federal Government through the Minister of Health, warning that it could not guarantee future labour peace if the issues presented were not resolved by May 29, 2023.
An earlier two-week ultimatum from NEC to the government has since expired. Sadly, the government did not get in touch with the Association or take any major action to address the concerns presented.
The doctors said that they would go on a five-day warning strike that would expire on Sunday, May 20, 2023, and that work would resume at 8:00 am on Monday, May 22, 2023, in a communiqué that was made public following the conclusion of the extraordinary National Executive Meeting.
NARD NEC decided to start a five-day warning strike at the Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on May 15, 2023, hoping that the government would recognise the urgency of resolving these concerns to prevent a further crisis in the health sector.
Message in the letter
NARD Secretary-General Dr. Chikezie Kelechi and President Dr. Innocent Orji both recalled that NARD had given the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to address the issues stated in the ultimatum before it expired on May 13, 2023, in a letter titled “Notice of Strike Action.”
