The Association of Resident Doctors under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA) has suspended its indefinite strike following interventions by the Senate and Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
ARD-FCTA President, Dr. George Ebong, confirmed on Friday that members would resume work at 8 a.m. on Monday, September 22, after a week-long disruption of healthcare services.
He said the decision was influenced by assurances from the Senate Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters and in consideration of the minister.
“The Senate intervened. Though our demands are still unmet, they promised to speak with the minister. We suspended action hoping the minister will listen,” Ebong told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The doctors, who began their strike on September 15, are demanding payment of salary arrears for members employed since 2023, implementation of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, settlement of outstanding hazard allowances, and correction of irregular salary payments, among other issues.
Responding to the development, Wike announced on Friday that he had signed off on the doctors’ requests and instructed immediate implementation. Speaking at the flag-off of the Northern Parkway construction project in Abuja, the minister said: “I must commend the resident doctors for calling off the strike. The administration is happy with their understanding. I have signed all the doctors’ requests on my table today.”
He directed the FCT Acting Head of Service and his Senior Special Assistant on Administration, Samuel Atang, to begin execution of the approvals without delay.
The suspension of the strike is expected to restore healthcare services across the territory, though the doctors maintain that their industrial action could resume if the commitments are not fulfilled.
(The Guardian)
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