The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced its decision to resume a total and indefinite comprehensive strike, dubbed TICS 2.0, starting from January 12, 2026, at precisely 12:00 a.m. This drastic measure comes in response to the Federal Government's persistent failure to implement agreed welfare and professional demands, a situation that has led to a previous 29-day strike in late 2025.

The announcement was made on Friday, January 2, 2026, following an Extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the association. Dr. Mohammed Suleiman, the President of NARD, shared the update on X, emphasizing that the strike, carrying the tagline 'No Implementation, No Going Back,' would only be suspended after the full and satisfactory implementation of their demands.

In preparation for the industrial action, NARD has issued specific directives to its 91 centre presidents nationwide. They are mandated to hold congress meetings and conduct press conferences within the next seven days, aiming to generate widespread public awareness. Dr. Suleiman stated, "We want 91 press conferences to saturate the spaces over the next seven days."

Beyond the strike, NARD has outlined a phased protest plan. This includes centre-based protests scheduled from January 12 to 16, 2026, followed by regional protests coordinated by caucus leaders, and culminating in a national protest to be organized by the National Officers Committee (NOC).

The association has listed nine minimum demands that must be fully implemented for the suspension of TICS 2.0. These demands encompass the reinstatement of the "FTH Lokoja five" — referring to five doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja — and the payment of promotion and salary arrears. Furthermore, NARD insists on the full implementation of the professional allowance table with arrears specifically captured in the 2026 budget, along with the reintroduction and implementation of the specialist allowance.

Other critical demands include official clarification on entry-level and skipping issues by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the resolution of house officers’ salary delays and arrears, accompanied by the issuance of a pay advisory. NARD also seeks the recategorisation of membership certificates and the issuance of certificates after Part I by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, the commencement of locum and work hours regulation committees, and the resumption and timely conclusion of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process.

Explaining the strategic one-week window before the strike's commencement, the NARD president clarified that it is intended to facilitate proper congress meetings, comprehensive media engagement, and the necessary statutory notifications to security agencies, including the DSS, the police, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, as well as hospital managements. The NOC has affirmed its full commitment to these resolutions and pledged to intensify engagements in the coming days.

This impending strike follows a warning issued by NARD on December 28, when the association cautioned that Nigeria was on the brink of another nationwide shutdown of medical services due to the government's failure to honor a Memorandum of Understanding. NARD had previously suspended a 29-day strike on November 29, 2025, after the government committed to implementing its demands within four weeks, a deadline that reportedly passed without any visible progress. As of press time, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had not issued an official response to NARD's latest announcement.