Doctors in Nigeria’s Capital Begin 7-Day Warning Strike

* Demand “State of Emergency” in Health Sector

Resident doctors across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have embarked on a seven-day warning strike, declaring a crisis in the capital’s healthcare system and calling for the government to declare a “state of emergency” in the sector. The move comes after what the doctors describe as years of government neglect, chronic understaffing, and deteriorating working conditions that have pushed medical personnel to a breaking point.

The Association of Resident Doctors, FCT Administration (ARD-FCTA), announced the industrial action in a communiqué signed by its President, Dr. George Ebong, and other executives following a press conference in Abuja on Monday.

The doctors outlined a severe and persistent crisis, citing acute manpower shortages that have forced them to cover multiple departments, faulty and obsolete medical equipment, unpaid entitlements, and immense physical and mental strain. Dr. Ebong revealed a stunning statistic: no new medical staff have been recruited for the FCT health sector since 2011, creating unsustainable pressure on the existing workforce.

“The FCT health system requires urgent and comprehensive interventions,” stated Dr. Ebong. “Doctors are overstretched, frequently covering multiple departments due to workforce gaps, placing enormous physical and mental strain on frontline medical personnel.”

The communiqué also pointed to recent tragic events to underscore the dire need for improved safety and working conditions, including the death of a doctor in Port Harcourt and a nurse who died from a snakebite in Abaji.

Despite repeated attempts to engage with the FCT Administration under Minister Nyesom Wike, the association stated that their concerns have gone unresolved. The current seven-day strike follows a ultimatum issued to the government on August 28.

The doctors described the action as a necessary last resort to force reform. “If, after seven days, the issues remain unresolved, we may be compelled to initiate indefinite industrial action,” Dr. Ebong stated, also stressing the critical need for doctors to be included in health-sector policymaking.

The ARD-FCTA has urged all its members to comply fully with the strike directive and to report any acts of intimidation or coercion to the union’s secretariat. The association maintains that the ultimate goal is not to disrupt healthcare but to force the “proactive approach” needed to secure the future of medical care in Nigeria’s capital.