Resident doctors’ association backs LAUTECH strike and warns of nationwide action

Resident doctors at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have been on strike for seven days, and their national association says the dispute could spread across Nigeria.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors expressed solidarity with the striking doctors on Friday. It said the dispute involved manpower shortages, unpaid minimum-wage arrears, unfulfilled allowance commitments and poor working conditions. NARD said the problems had continued since last year.

According to the association, the doctors gave the Oyo State Government two weeks’ notice about three months ago. They then held a five-day warning strike, which they suspended after appeals from hospital management and the hospital board. The doctors later issued an eight-week ultimatum, which expired eight days before the statement without resolving their demands.

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Yet again, the leadership of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors is forced to resort to the painful choice of an industrial action to press home legitimate demands of its members.

NARD President Mohammad Usman Suleiman said the association had again been forced into industrial action to press what it described as legitimate demands. “Today is day seven of the industrial action embarked upon by our colleagues in LAUTECH Ogbomoso. The issues under dispute did not start today, it has been lingering since last year,” he said.

The demands include payment of Medical Residency Training Funds, state minimum-wage arrears dating from January 2025, implementation of a corrected professional allowances table, enforcement of new rules on excessive workloads and working hours, and payment of upgrade arrears owed to affected members.

NARD warned that failure to implement the demands could trigger further regional and national action. It said escalation could be avoided if the outstanding issues were addressed.

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Today is day seven of the industrial action embarked upon by our colleagues in LAUTECH Ogbomoso. The issues under dispute did not start today, it has been lingering since last year.