Efforts by the Bola Tinubu-led federal government to prevent a nationwide disruption in the health sector have collapsed, as negotiations with the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), which represents over 25,000 nurses, ended in a deadlock on Tuesday.
The meeting with officials from the Ministry of Labour and Employment was aimed at averting the strike, but both parties failed to reach an agreement.
The union confirmed that a seven-day warning strike will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, 30 July 2025, following the inability of both sides to reach a consensus on longstanding demands aimed at improving the welfare and working conditions of health workers.
The meeting, chaired by Muhammad Dingyadi, Minister of Labour and Employment, included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office, and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.
Despite what the association described as a “critical analysis” of the nurses’ demands, the meeting adjourned without a resolution. NANNM said the absence of key officials, including the Minister of Health and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, contributed to the failure to secure commitments on issues of pay disparity, staffing shortages, improved hazard allowances, and career progression.
In a statement signed by Chidi Aligwe from NANNM’s national headquarters, the union declared that the strike would proceed as planned. “All the demands of the nurses were analysed critically. However, the Ministry and the association could not come to a conclusion on how to address all the demands in the overall interest of nurses/midwives and the healthcare sector in Nigeria,” the statement read.
The meeting was adjourned to later days when the Minister of Health, the office of the Head of Service of the federation and other relevant agencies will be present.
The association, however, directed all its members nationwide to ensure “total compliance” with the industrial action. “Solidarity forever! The struggle continues,” the statement added.
NANNM, which represents hundreds of thousands of nurses and midwives in Nigeria. The strike is expected to affect public hospitals and primary healthcare centres already stretched by staffing challenges.
The demands of the nurses include: Gazetting of the Nurses Scheme of Service approved by the National Council on Establishment (NCE) in 2016 in Minna, Niger State; Implementation of the National Industrial Court (NIC) Judgment of January 27, 2012 (Suit No: NIC/AB316/2020).
Upward review of professional allowance for nurses and midwives; Employment of nursing personnel and adequate provision of health facility equipment; Creation of a Department of Nursing in the Federal Ministry of Health; Inclusion of nurses in the headship of health policy-making bodies;
Fair representation by the Association on the board and membership in federal health institutions; Centralisation of internship postings for graduate nurses; and Consultancy for nurses and midwives.
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