As the nurses’ warning strike enters its second day, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM-FHI) says it won’t back down until the federal government takes real steps to meet some of their most important demands.
The union’s chairman, Comrade Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, said in Abuja that talks and promises are not enough — they want to see actual results before calling off the strike.
He explained that the strike wasn’t their first choice. Nurses care deeply for their patients and waited a long time for their issues to be resolved. But after months of delays, the strike became their last option.
“We’ve had many meetings with the government, but nothing has come out of them,” Rilwan said. “Now, we need to see real commitment — not just words, but actions.”
He said the government wants the nurses to stop the strike first before attending to their demands, but the union isn’t comfortable with that. “We can’t stop now unless parts of our demands are met,” he stressed.
The union had earlier given a 15-day warning which ended on July 14, but no solid action was taken. So, they began a 7-day warning strike.
Some of the nurses’ demands include:
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Better pay and allowances
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More nurses hired across government hospitals
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Support and recognition for specialist nurses
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A dedicated nursing department at the Federal Ministry of Health
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A proper official document (gazette) for the nurses’ service rules
Although meetings have taken place — including one with the Minister of Labour — they ended without results because important people like the Minister of Health and Head of Civil Service didn’t show up.
Rilwan said unless a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed, the strike will continue. “We want a written agreement. We must see serious effort from the government,” he added.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has urged the nurses to end the strike, but the union says it won’t return to work unless there’s real progress.
