The National Industrial Court, Abuja has ordered the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to end its industrial action immediately.
The order was issued on Wednesday by the judge, Justice Galadima, in a ruling on an ex parte application filed by two civil society groups, the Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights, and Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Mr Frank Tietie, prayed the court to direct the NARD, as providers of essential services vital to the fundamental right to life, to immediately cease their strike action and resume duties.
He prayed that if the strike action by the doctors is allowed to continue, it would cause irreparable damage to the ongoing negotiation between NARD and the Federal Government.
The court granted the prayer as Justice Galadima upheld Tietie’s arguments and ordered the NARD members to immediately end the strike action.
Justice Galadima ordered the doctors to immediately resume their duties, and fixed October 8 for the hearing of the substantive suit by another judge of the court, Justice Edith Agbakoba.
It can be recalled that the resident doctors had on September 7, 2020 embarked on a strike action to press the government to meet their requests earlier made in June.
