The Association of Resident Doctors of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, on Friday, announced it will commence an indefinite strike starting 12 midnight on Saturday, November 1, 2025, over unresolved welfare and administrative issues affecting its members.

The declaration, contained in a letter dated October 30, 2025, and addressed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was signed by the association’s President, Dr George Ebong, and General Secretary, Dr Agbor Affiong.

The letter was made available to our correspondent by the President of the ARD-FCTA, Dr George Ebong, on Friday.

The ARD-FCTA’s letter followed the announcement by its national body, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, to commence an indefinite and total strike on the same date.

Meanwhile, ARD-FCTA doctors vowed to continue their own indefinite strike action even if the national body suspends or calls off its ongoing strike.

ARD-FCTA noted that the action became necessary due to long-standing issues affecting its members, which, it said, have not been resolved despite previous engagements with the authorities.

The Impending strike is expected to further strain healthcare delivery in the FCT, especially as resident doctors constitute the majority of the medical workforce in public hospitals.

The ARD-FCTA is an association of doctors practising in the 14 district and general hospitals, including the Department of Public Health under the FCTA.

According to the ARD-FCTA’s letter, the decision followed an emergency congress meeting held on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, during which members unanimously voted to fully join the indefinite strike earlier declared by their national body.

“This is to formally notify all relevant stakeholders of the impending indefinite strike action declared by our parent body, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), scheduled to commence from 12 midnight on Saturday, 1st November 2025.

“Following this declaration, the Supreme Congress of ARD-FCTA, after its Emergency Congress Meeting held on Wednesday, 29th October 2025, deliberated extensively on the state of our unresolved local issues. The Congress unanimously voted to fully join the NARD-declared indefinite strike in its entirety.

“It is, however, important to note that even if NARD suspends or calls off its strike, ARD-FCTA will continue with its own indefinite strike action until all demands peculiar to our centre have been satisfactorily met,” the letter partly stated.

The letter, which was received and stamped by various offices on October 31, 2025, including the Office of the FCT Minister, the Head of Service, and the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, signals potential disruptions in medical services across hospitals under the FCT Administration.

PUNCH Online reports that the doctors are demanding the immediate payment of all outstanding salary arrears to members employed since 2023; commencement of recruitment of new doctors with written, time-bound commitments to conclude before the end of 2025; and the immediate payment of the 2025 MRTF for doctors’ medical training.

Other demands include the immediate stoppage of erroneous deductions and correction of irregular salary payments; documented timelines for skipping and conversion to be fully concluded within one month; and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding mandating the skipping of members within three months of employment.

They are also seeking the conversion of post-Part II Fellows to Consultant cadre within six months of passing, release of promotion timelines and full payment of arrears within one month, and the immediate payment of wage award arrears, as already done for colleagues at the federal and state levels.

Additional demands are the immediate payment of arrears from the 25/35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure review, urgent renovation, equipping, and upgrading of all FCTA hospitals to globally acceptable standards, immediate payment of 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears, and the immediate payment of all arrears owed to 2025 external residents. (The PUNCH)