Nurses insist on commencement of warning strike Wednesday

Nurses, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives –Federal Health Institutions Sector, have insisted that their planned seven-day warning strike will begin on Wednesday (today).

The members vowed to complete the strike even if the government called for negotiations.

The National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, said on Wednesday that the government had 15 days to respond to their demands but failed to act.

The union, on July 14, 2025, issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding immediate intervention to prevent a total healthcare shutdown.

Some of the demands of the nurses are the upward review of shift allowance, uniform allowance adjustment, a separate salary structure for nurses, increased core duty allowance, mass employment of nurses, and the establishment of a nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health, among others.

Rilwan said, “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.

“Fifteen days is enough for them to call us for negotiations. It is because they are not sensitive to the welfare of the masses. That’s why they allowed 15 good days to elapse.”

Rilwan noted that the strike was initiated by members who had grown tired of poor working conditions.

He explained that after the seven-day warning strike, if no reasonable agreement was reached, they would give another 21-day ultimatum to the government, according to labour law, before proceeding on 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.