The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced the suspension of its nationwide warning strike and instructed its members to return to work today.
The association initiated the strike on Monday, August 26th, the strike, which lasted for seven days was in response to the ongoing detention of its kidnapped member, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola-Olawale.
Popoola, a registrar in the ophthalmology department at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna, was kidnapped on December 27, 2023, along with her husband and nephew while they were at the senior staff quarters of the eye centre.
While her husband was released in March after discussions with the abductors, Popoola and her nephew remain in captivity.
In July, the association issued a two-week ultimatum to government over Popoola’s abduction.
Dr. Popoola-Olawale was abducted on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, from the senior staff quarters of the National Eye Centre in Kaduna.
She was taken alongside her husband, Squadron Leader Nurudeen Popoola, and her husband’s nephew, Folaranmi Abdul-Mugniy, a student at the Airforce Technology Institute (AFIT), who was staying with them.
After numerous efforts and negotiations, her husband was released on March 7, 2024.
Following an extraordinary virtual meeting of its national executive council (ENEC) on Sunday, August 30, 2024, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) announced the suspension of the strike.
The association stated that it had decided to call off the strike while continuing to closely monitor the situation and engage with stakeholders to ensure the prompt release of its abducted member.
The communiqué was signed by the association’s president, Dr. Dele Abdullahi Olaitan, Secretary-General Dr. Anaduaka Christopher Obinna, and Public and Social Secretary Dr. Egbe John Jonah.
In the communiqué, the association stated, “The National Executive Council (NEC) has agreed that work will resume at all centers nationwide by 8:00 am on Monday, September 2, 2024.”
NARD also mentioned that its NEC would reconvene in three weeks to reassess the situation.
Additionally, the association noted the heightened awareness and media engagement surrounding the case of Dr. Popoola-Olawale.
The association expressed its gratitude for the engagement and intervention by various government agencies, as well as their renewed commitment to securing the return of the kidnapped doctor.
