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A Nigerian court has ordered the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to suspend plans for a nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12, 2026.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja issued the order on Friday while ruling on an ex parte motion filed by the Nigerian government and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
The motion was moved by Maimuna Lami Shiru, Director of Civil Litigation at the Federal Ministry of Justice, who led a team of government lawyers in court.
The suit lists NARD, its national president, Mohammad Suleman, and its secretary general, Shuaibu Ibrahim, as respondents.
In the ruling, the court restrained the association, its officers, members, agents, or anyone acting on its behalf from “calling, directing, organising, participating in or embarking upon any form of industrial action”, and also from taking steps to prepare for such action.
The interim injunction will remain in force until January 21, 2026, when the court is expected to hear the motion on notice.
“An interim order of injunction is hereby granted restraining the defendants/respondents, their members, servants, agents, privies, and/or any other person acting on their behalf or at their directives from calling, directing, organising, participating in or embarking upon any form of industrial action, including but not limited to strikes, work stoppages, go-slows, picketing or any other form of industrial protest or disruption; taking steps preparatory to or in furtherance of any industrial action, from the 12th January, 2026, until the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice,” the court ruled.
Justice Subilim ordered that the government serve the defendants with court processes within seven days, while granting the resident doctors the right to apply to discharge or vary the order within seven days of being served.
“The claimants/applicants shall serve the defendants with this order within seven (7) days of the date hereof. The defendants/respondents shall be at liberty to apply to discharge or vary this order within seven days after services of this order,” the judge ruled.
The court action followed NARD’s January 3 announcement that it would resume a total, indefinite and complete strike, tagged TICS 2.0, from January 12, citing the government’s failure to implement agreements reached with the association.
After an emergency National Executive Council meeting held on January 2, 2026, NARD said the planned strike was a response to repeated missed deadlines by the government and the Ministry of Health in implementing a memorandum of understanding signed after its last industrial action.
