Healthcare service go scatter across Nigeria from Wednesday, as nurses wey dey under di National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Federal Health Institutions Sector, don ready to begin one seven-day nationwide warning strike.
Di strike go affect 74 federal hospitals, plenty state hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
Dis action wey go cripple work for federal medical centres, teaching hospitals and specialist institutions, na because of wahala like poor salary, shortage of workers, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.
Di union, wey issue 15-day warning to Federal Government on July 14, 2025, dey demand urgent action to stop di total collapse of healthcare service for di country.
Di association talk say even after dem give ultimatum, Federal Government never show any sign say dem wan begin negotiation.
As e dey yarn with our reporter on Monday, di National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, talk say some long-standing demands include upward review of shift allowance, adjustment of uniform allowance, different salary structure wey go be only for nurses, increase in core duty allowance, mass recruitment of nurses, and make dem create nursing department inside di Federal Ministry of Health, among other things.
“Dis strike wey dey ground no get how e go miss, because Federal Government or Federal Ministry of Health still dey stubborn,” na wetin Rilwan talk.
“As e be now, dem dey group nurses together with other health workers under one salary level. Nobody dey show special recognition for di kind work wey nurses dey do.
We dey ask for salary structure wey go reflect our profession and wetin we dey contribute. We no be like every other health worker. We deserve our own salary scale,” na wetin he talk.
Di national chairman still cry out say even though nurses dey work 24-hour shifts, dem still dey treated anyhow.
“Nurses na di only professionals wey dey work around di clock. Night shift wahala even don increase now because of security problem.
Dem suppose dey pay us 30% of our basic salary as shift allowance, as di 2009 circular talk. But wetin we dey receive na just 6.8%, same as gate man wey dey do shift work.
E no fair at all. Na we dey spend longest time with patients, yet dem dey give us crumbs,” na wetin he talk again.
Di chairman also cry say for over 20 years now, nurses dey collect just N20,000 per year for uniform, even though dem dey change am regularly.
“Government dey always talk say nurses no plenty, but Nigeria dey produce over 10,000 nurses every year. Na underemployment dey worry dem; many dey work for private hospitals for chicken change or dey do temporary locum work for government side. Nurses plenty, na employment and better pay dem no get, na why dem dey japa,” na wetin Rilwan talk.
He still talk say di association dey demand make dem re-setup di Nursing and Midwifery Council Board wey don dissolve since more than four years now.
He stress say di strike wey dem plan go touch all levels of government health centres across Nigeria.
“E go affect 74 federal hospitals, teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, specialist hospitals like orthopaedic, psychiatric, and eye hospitals, plus all general hospitals and primary healthcare centres inside di 36 states, FCT, and di 774 local government areas,” na wetin he highlight.
National PRO, Omomo Tibiebi, still talk say during di warning strike, no service go dey, even emergency no go work.
“Emergency service no go run, di strike na total shutdown. No skeleton service go happen. Di 15-day ultimatum go expire by midnight on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, and di warning strike go start sharp-sharp by 12:01 am on Wednesday, July 30,” Tibiebi talk.
