Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Ali Pate, on Friday held a closed-door meeting with leaders of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and officials from the Ministry of Labour, as government steps up efforts to end the ongoing nationwide strike by nurses and midwives.
The talks come amid a warning strike that began on July 29, 2025, after the union accused the Federal Government of ignoring a 15-day ultimatum issued earlier in July.
The action, which has crippled services in public hospitals across the country, is expected to run until August 5, 2025.
The nurses’ grievances, described as the result of decades of neglect, centre on welfare and working conditions. Their key demands include:
Upward review of shift and uniform allowances.
Introduction of a separate salary structure for nurses.
Increased core duty allowances.
Mass recruitment of nurses into federal health institutions.
Creation of a dedicated nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health.
NANNM’s National Chairman, Morakinyo Rilwan, said members had grown frustrated by the government’s silence during the ultimatum window.
“As far as we are concerned, there has been no communication from the government to this moment. That is why 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 stated.
He emphasised that the strike decision was not unilaterally imposed by union leaders but fuelled by widespread frustration among members who feel abandoned despite their frontline role in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Friday’s meeting marked the government’s first visible step toward resolving the dispute. While details of the negotiations remain undisclosed, observers say any resolution will require more than verbal assurances — it will demand tangible reforms to nurses’ welfare and working conditions.
The outcome of the talks will determine whether the strike is called off next week or escalates into a full-blown industrial action capable of further crippling Nigeria’s already fragile healthcare sector.
