Resident Doctors Begin Warning Strike, Demand Release of Abducted Colleague

The National Association of Resident Doctors have declared a 7-day warning strike across all its centres in the country, to demand priority for the release of its abducted member, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, held captive for more than eight months.

This was contained in a statement by the President of NARD, Dr Dele Abdullahi, stating that the strike would begin officially on Monday, August 26, 2024, at midnight.

The resolution to take this action was reached at a virtual Emergency National Executive Council meeting held on Sunday, August 25, 2024.

He said it would be a total warning strike, as even emergency care services would be withheld during the period of the industrial action.

“The strike is to clearly state a desperate call for the release of our colleague, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, who has been in captivity for rather too long. We can’t continue to work under such fear and uncertainty that our profession has been thrown into by this unattended matter,” he said.

Dr Popoola is a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology, National Eye Centre, Kaduna. She was kidnapped about eight months ago, along with her husband and nephew.

Her husband was released in March; leaving Dr Popoola and her nephew in captivity, eliciting an angry response from the medical community.

There had been protests across tertiary hospitals nationwide in the run-up to the strike by members of NARD, asking for the immediate release of Dr Popoola.

There is frustration among the leadership of the association about her freedom, considering that so much efforts had been made in appeals to the authorities.

The would-be weeklong strike has easily sparked concerns over the potential disruption of healthcare services nationwide, especially in emergency cases.

On the other hand, NARD says the move has become the only alternative towards drawing attention to the public regarding the abduction of their member and safety of health professionals in Nigeria.

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