Resident doctors at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) have announced their decision to join the nationwide strike declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12, 2026.

The decision followed an emergency general meeting of the Association of Resident Doctors, UUTH, held on Thursday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. In a communiqué released after the meeting, the association confirmed its full alignment with the resolutions reached at NARD’s Extra-Ordinary National Executive Council meeting earlier this month.

The communiqué, signed by the association’s President, Dr Ekomobong Udoh, and General Secretary, Dr Kenneth Ikott, stated that resident doctors at UUTH would commence a peaceful protest by 9 am on Monday within the hospital premises. The protest, according to the statement, is in strict compliance with NARD’s directive and precedes full participation in the strike action, which officially begins at noon the same day.

Dr Udoh explained that the decision to down tools was driven by the Federal Government’s failure to fully implement the Memorandum of Understanding signed with resident doctors in November 2025. He said repeated delays and unmet commitments had left the association with no option but to join the industrial action.

The strike, tagged Total, Indefinite and Comprehensive Strike (TICS) 2.0, carries the slogan “No Implementation, No Going Back.” Udoh stressed that the action would only be suspended once the government fully implements the agreed minimum demands.

Among the key issues raised by the doctors are the reinstatement of the “FTH Lokoja Five,” payment of outstanding promotion and salary arrears, and the full implementation of the professional allowance table, including arrears expected to be captured in the 2026 budget. They are also demanding clear guidance from the Federal Ministry of Health on skipping and entry-level placement, backed by official circulars to hospital chief executives.

Other concerns include the reintroduction and implementation of the Specialist Allowance, resolution of salary delays and arrears affecting house officers, recategorisation of membership certificates, timely issuance of certificates after Part I examinations by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, and the regulation of locum practice and work hours. The doctors are also calling for the resumption and timely completion of the Collective Bargaining Agreement process.

With UUTH now set to join the nationwide action, the strike is expected to further strain healthcare delivery across the country, as resident doctors insist that concrete action, not promises, is required to address their grievances.