Nigerian Nurses Set To Embark On 7-Day Nationwide Warning Strike

The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has announced plans to embark on a seven-day warning strike, accusing the federal government of ignoring their long-standing demands.

The association had earlier given the government a 15-day ultimatum starting July 14, warning that failure to act would lead to industrial action.

Speaking with TheCable, NANNM Chairman in the Federal Capital Territory, Jama Medan said the strike will affect all government hospitals—primary, secondary, and tertiary—across the country.

“We will embark on a seven-day warning strike starting midnight on July 29. After the strike, if the federal government still does not respond to us, we will then decide the next line of action,” he said.

Medan said some of the organisation’s demands include gazzetting of the nurses scheme of service approved by the NCE in 2016 in Minna, Niger state, implementation of the national industrial arbitration court (NIC) judgment of January 27, 2012, upward review of professional allowance for nurses and midwives, and employment of nursing personnel and adequate provision of health facility equipment.

He said they also want the creation of a separate nursing department within the federal ministry of health, inclusion of nurses in health policy leadership roles, fair representation on boards of federal health institutions, and centralised internship placements for graduate nurses.

Another demand is the recognition of nurses and midwives as consultants, similar to how other healthcare professionals are treated.

NANNM also rejected a recent government circular that revised allowances for health workers, calling it inadequate and unfair to nurses.

In a public notice posted on social media, the association urged Nigerians to make alternative healthcare arrangements during the strike, saying the government had failed to take meaningful steps to improve the sector or respond to their concerns.

“All government owned health facilities across the nation will be affected. The federal government has redused to improve the healthcare sector by addressing our demand,” the message reads.

KanyiDaily recalls that doctors under the Lagos State Government also began a three-day warning strike to protest sudden salary deductions made without any prior notice.