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| Credit: Facebook |
Abuja, Nigeria - Healthcare services across Nigeria are facing severe disruptions as nurses, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institutions Sector, commenced a nationwide indefinite strike today, July 30, 2025. The strike has left countless patients stranded and is expected to paralyze services in federal medical centers, teaching hospitals, and specialist institutions across the country.
The industrial action follows the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued by NANNM to the Federal Government on July 14, 2025. The union stated that the government failed to engage meaningfully or initiate any negotiations despite the ultimatum.
Key Demands of the Striking Nurses:
The nurses' demands center around long-standing issues of poor welfare, inadequate remuneration, staff shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions. Specific demands include:
- Upward review of shift allowance: Nurses are reportedly receiving only 6.8% of their basic salary as shift allowance, significantly less than the 30% stipulated in a 2009 circular.
- Adjustment of uniform allowance.
- Implementation of a separate salary structure for nurses: The union argues that nurses deserve a dedicated salary scale that reflects their unique profession and contribution, rather than being lumped with other health workers on the same scale.
- Increased core duty allowance: From 1.7% to 4%.
- Mass employment of nurses: To address severe staffing shortages.
- Creation of a dedicated nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health.
- Reconstitution of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Board, which has been dissolved for over four years.
- A secure and conducive work environment, and well-equipped hospitals to curb outbound medical tourism.
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| Credit: Facebook |
Impact of the Strike:
The strike is deemed "total," with no skeletal or emergency services being provided. It is set to affect 74 federal hospitals, including teaching hospitals, federal medical centers, and specialist hospitals, as well as all general hospitals and primary healthcare centers in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. This widespread withdrawal of services is causing significant distress for patients, with appointments being cancelled and many unable to access crucial care.
Doctors' Stance:
While nurses have commenced their indefinite strike, doctors, under the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), had also issued a 21-day notice of a total and indefinite strike, effective from July 27, 2025, over similar welfare issues, including the non-payment of arrears and a controversial circular on revised allowances. However, the NMA President, Prof. Bala Audu, recently indicated that negotiations were ongoing with the government, and a strike in the immediate future was "most unlikely" if the current pace of resolution continued. Nonetheless, some state chapters, like the Medical Guild in Lagos, had already commenced warning strikes over salary reductions.
Historical Context:
Healthcare worker strikes over welfare issues are a recurring problem in Nigeria. Past strikes have been attributed to factors such as poor staff welfare, salary delays, inadequate infrastructure, and governmental inability to implement agreements. These industrial actions consistently lead to disruptions in service delivery, increased morbidity and mortality, and a loss of public confidence in the healthcare system.
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