Healthcare services across Nigeria are set to face severe disruptions as nurses under the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Federal Health Institutions (NANNM-FHI), plan to begin a seven-day nationwide warning strike on Wednesday.
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The planned strike will affect 74 federal hospitals and other public health facilities across the country. It follows the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government on July 14, 2025, demanding urgent attention to longstanding issues affecting the nursing profession.
Despite the warning, the union said the government has not initiated any negotiations or taken concrete steps to prevent the industrial action.
National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, said the decision to withdraw services was driven by years of neglect and unmet demands by the government.
Key among the issues raised are poor remuneration, with nurses seeking a dedicated salary structure, improved shift allowances, and a review of uniform allowances that have remained stagnant for over two decades. The current allowance, the union noted, is no longer sufficient to meet the cost of standard nursing uniforms.
The strike, once underway, is expected to affect services at all levels of public healthcare, including teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, specialist hospitals, and primary healthcare centres. Emergency services will also be suspended during the strike period.
In addition to financial concerns, the union is demanding the mass recruitment of nurses, the establishment of a dedicated department for nursing within the Federal Ministry of Health, the full implementation of a defined scheme of service, and the reconstitution of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Board, which has remained dissolved for over four years.
