The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives – Federal Health Institutions Sector (NANNM-FHI) on Wednesday commenced a seven-day warning strike, defying appeals by the Federal Government to suspend the planned industrial action.
The union said the strike became inevitable following the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum it had issued on 14 July 2025, demanding improved welfare, fair allowances, and better working conditions for nurses across federal health institutions.
National chairman of the association, Morakinyo Rilwan, speaking on Tuesday, accused the Federal Government of ignoring repeated calls for dialogue during the ultimatum period.
“As far as we are concerned, there has been no communication from the government to this moment. That is why we are saying the strike is going on, and nothing is stopping it.
“Even if the government calls today or tomorrow, it won’t stop the strike. They had enough time,” Rilwan noted.
Among the demands tabled by the nurses are the upward review of shift allowance, adjustment of uniform allowance, implementation of a separate salary structure for nurses, increased core duty allowance, mass employment of nurses, and the creation of a dedicated nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health.
Rilwan explained that the decision to embark on the strike was not made solely by the union’s leadership but was driven by the growing frustration among members who feel they have been neglected for years.
“This strike is not initiated by the leadership of the union; it was initiated by the members, and they said this is what they want,” he said.
Rilwan further stressed that the nurses are undeterred by the government’s potential use of the ‘no work, no pay’ policy, noting that members were prepared to make sacrifices to press home their demands.
He stated that if no meaningful agreement is reached after the seven-day warning strike, the union would issue another 21-day ultimatum to the government, as required by labour law, before commencing an indefinite strike.
“If the 21 days elapse and there is no reasonable response from the government, we would embark on a total and indefinite strike,” he added.
