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The Association of Resident Doctors of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA) has declared its intention to commence an indefinite and total strike starting at midnight on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
The action is being taken to protest a multitude of unresolved welfare and administrative issues impacting its members, signalling a major potential disruption to public healthcare services across the FCT.
The declaration, formalised in a letter dated October 30, 2025, and addressed to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, follows an emergency congress meeting where members unanimously voted for the industrial action.
While the strike aligns with an earlier national declaration by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the ARD-FCTA has critically stated that its action will continue independently until all demands specific to the FCTA are satisfactorily met, regardless of any decision by the NARD to suspend or call off its own strike.
This firm position underscores the severity of the local grievances.
The resident doctors, who constitute the majority of the medical workforce in FCTA-governed hospitals, presented a comprehensive list of demands to the administration.
Key demands include the immediate payment of all outstanding salary arrears for members employed since 2023, the full payment of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), and the urgent rectification of persistent payroll irregularities, such as erroneous deductions and irregular salary payments.
Furthermore, the doctors are seeking the immediate commencement of new doctor recruitment, along with written, time-bound commitments for its conclusion before the end of 2025.
Administrative issues surrounding career progression, including documented timelines for the skipping and conversion of post-Part II Fellows to the Consultant cadre, are also critical demands.
Finally, the association is demanding the immediate payment of accumulated arrears from the 25/35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure review and the urgent renovation and upgrade of all FCTA hospitals to globally acceptable standards.
The impending work stoppage is widely expected to place a severe strain on healthcare delivery throughout the Federal Capital Territory.
The commitment of the ARD-FCTA to maintain the strike until their local demands are fully satisfied indicates a potentially prolonged period of disruption, necessitating immediate and comprehensive engagement from the FCT Administration to mitigate the impact on essential medical services.
