FCT Doctors to Begin Indefinite Strike November 1 Over Unpaid Salaries, Welfare Issues

The Association of Resident Doctors of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA) has announced that its members will begin an indefinite strike at midnight on Saturday, November 1, 2025, over unresolved welfare and administrative issues.

The decision was contained in a letter dated October 30, 2025, addressed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and jointly signed by the association’s President, Dr. George Ebong, and General Secretary, Dr. Agbor Affiong. The letter, obtained by reporters on Friday, confirmed that the action followed an emergency congress meeting held on October 29, 2025.

According to the letter, members unanimously agreed to fully join the nationwide indefinite strike declared by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on the same date. However, the ARD-FCTA emphasized that its strike would continue independently, even if NARD later suspends or calls off its industrial action.

“This is to notify all relevant stakeholders of our decision to embark on an indefinite strike in line with the NARD declaration. Our congress has resolved to proceed until all local demands peculiar to our centre are satisfactorily met,” the letter stated.

The notice, acknowledged by the offices of the FCT Minister, the Head of Service, and the Health Services and Environment Secretariat on October 31, signals a potential disruption in healthcare delivery across public hospitals in the FCT. Resident doctors make up the majority of the medical workforce in the territory’s 14 district and general hospitals, as well as the Department of Public Health.

The doctors listed several grievances, including the non-payment of outstanding salary arrears for members employed since 2023, delay in recruiting new doctors, and non-release of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF).

Other demands include halting erroneous salary deductions, correcting irregular payments, providing timelines for skipping and conversion within one month, and signing a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that skipping is implemented within three months of employment.

They also called for the conversion of post-Part II Fellows to Consultant cadre within six months, the release and payment of promotion arrears within one month, and the settlement of outstanding wage award arrears.

In addition, the association is demanding the payment of arrears from the 25/35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) review, renovation and upgrading of FCTA hospitals to modern standards, payment of 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears, and settlement of all outstanding allowances for 2025 external residents.

The strike, if not quickly resolved, is expected to severely impact medical services across the FCT, with many hospitals likely to operate at minimal capacity.