JUST-IN: Health Minister Meets Striking Nurses As Strike Enters Day 3

The Minister of Health, Professor Ali Pate, met on Friday with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and representatives of the Ministry of Labour.

The closed-door meeting was held to discuss ongoing negotiations between the nursing association and the ministries of health and labour.

LEADERSHIP recalls that Nurses and midwives under the association had commenced a warning strike on July 29, 2025, following what the union described as the government’s failure to respond meaningfully to its 15-day ultimatum on July 14, 2025.

The strike stemmed from longstanding concerns about nurses’ welfare and poor working conditions, and the government’s reluctance to address them. The 7-day warning strike is scheduled to continue until August 5, 2025.

The union’s National Chairman, Morakinyo Rilwan, stated that the Federal Government failed to engage meaningfully with the association during the provided window.

“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,” Rilwan noted.

The nurses’ demands include an upward review of shift allowance, an adjustment of uniform allowance, the implementation of a separate salary structure for nurses, an increased core duty allowance, mass employment of nurses, and the creation of a dedicated nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health.

Rilwan stressed that the union’s leadership did not unilaterally decide to strike but was driven by a groundswell of frustration among members over long-standing neglect.