The strike embarked upon by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has continued to have a negative implication on the healthcare sector with many hospitals all over the states beginning to turn back some critically ill patients because of the strike.
In Akwa Ibom State, The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Prof EmemAbasi Bassey, has said that critical patients are now being turned back following the strike.
Speaking to our Correspondent, Prof Bassey lamented the inability to cope with the influx of patients, especially the critically ill, explaining that the hospital is only forced to run skeletal services with few doctors attending emergency cases.
“Nurses and midwives are a very critical component of the health system. Because they have withdrawn their services, pressure is very much on the hospital to manage the situation.
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“We were caught unawares because we never anticipated the negotiation would fail. We hoped that a resolution acceptable to the nurses would be reached since negotiation was ongoing, so there would be no need for a strike. And so, because of this, we were not prepared for this kind of emergency,” Prof. Bassey disclosed.
He said, “Many patients were turned back at the hospital, while some in critical condition begged for admission to no avail. Critical patients are now between life and death.”
Similar scenarios were noted at the General Hospital, Anua, in the Uyo metropolis.
Lamenting his condition, Kennedy Udouko, taken for a critical hernia operation, was referred to the newly constructed state government hospital close to the Government House, following his rejection at the Catholic Church medical facility taken over by the State government, which was later elevated to a General Hospital.
“I have been referred to the new government hospital along Barracks Road, near Government House, for my hernia operation,” he said while in tears.
The ongoing warning strike has brought public healthcare services across the country to a near halt, leaving thousands of patients stranded and vulnerable, especially those who cannot afford private care.
During a visit to the Asokoro District Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday, patients were seen waiting endlessly, with many eventually returning home without receiving medical attention.
One of them, Douglas Ogar, who came with a relative for a scheduled appointment, said they arrived as early as 8 a.m., but had not seen a doctor by noon. “We’re just stuck here waiting. If we had the money, we would have gone to a private hospital,” he lamented.
A pregnant woman, who declined to be named, said she came to the hospital with abdominal pain but decided to leave for a private facility after observing the situation. “I can’t wait for the strike to end. It could be dangerous for me and my baby,” she said.
At Wuse General Hospital, similar scenes of confusion and frustration played out. Many patients said they were unaware of the strike until they got to the hospital and were forced to wait without any assurance.
One of the patients, Adamu Haliru, said he had been waiting for hours without any sign of help.
The striking nurses are demanding the gazetting of the revised scheme of service for nurses approved by the National Council on Establishment since 2016, implementation of the 2012 National Industrial Court judgment in their favour, improved professional allowances, increased recruitment, and enhanced healthcare infrastructure.
Other key demands include creating a Department of Nursing in the Federal Ministry of Health, including nurses in top policy-making bodies, fair representation on the boards of federal health institutions, centralised posting for intern nurses, and granting consultancy status to qualified nurses and midwives.
The strike began on July 29 and is expected to last seven days unless the federal government addresses the association’s demands.
Nurses Abandon Patients In ICU At UNTH
Also, activities have been paralysed at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.
It was gathered that the nurses initially rendered skeletal services to those in severe conditions, including the ICU, but were warned to stop.
Our investigation revealed that the nurses locked up the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
It was gathered that despite appeals by relatives of patients in the intensive care unit and emergency sections, the nurses locked up the areas.
When our correspondent visited the hospital, consultants were seen trying to put the machines in the ICU.
One of the nurses, who spoke anonymously, said they were warned that anybody caught assisting any patient would pay a N50,000 fine.
No Rush To Evacuate Patients -UPTH
The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) has declared that there is no rush to discharge patients under its care following the ongoing warning strike by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
The Chairman of the UPTH’s medical advisory committee, Professor Datonye Alasia, who disclosed this in a chat with LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt yesterday, stated that there was a daily review of the patients who should be discharged from the hospital.
Alasia stated that the health facility’s management had activated its mechanism to ensure that patients who needed essential care were not left unattended to during the strike.
Nurses’ Strike Takes Toll On Services In Kwara Hospitals
In Kwara State, the strike has continued to affect medical services in government hospitals.
LEADERSHIP findings showed that most patients on admission at the Sobi Specialist Hospital, Alagbado, and General Hospitals in Ilorin, Omu—Aran, and Share had been taken home by their relatives.
A patient’s relative who was admitted to Sobi Specialist Hospital, Alagbado, Dare Mubarak, told LEADERSHIP that they had moved the patient to a private hospital in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin.
He lamented that they had to raise funds to pay the bill at the private hospital they relocated to.
At the Ilorin General Hospital, the situation is slightly different. A few patients admitted and whose condition was stable remained on admission and were attended to by consultants and doctors.
At the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), consultants, resident doctors, and senior nurses attended to the patients.
“We are attending to patients at UITH. We have neither discharged our patients nor shut our doors against new patients. The consultants, the resident doctors, and of course the senior nurses are on duty attending to patients,” a hospital management staff confided in LEADERSHIP.
Patients’ Agony Continues In Kogi
Patients in medical facilities across Kogi state have continued to lament the negative consequences of the nurses’ strike.
While narrating his ordeal in Lokoja, a Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) patient said he had been abandoned and unattended.
“You can see our condition here. We are suffering—no nurse to attend to our needs. The nurses are the ones who are close to us, the patients. Their strike has put our lives in danger.
“I’m appealing to the federal government to resolve the issues that have brought about the strike urgently. We are suffering,” he lamented.
Another patient, Mama Titi, asked the nurses to consider the patients’ plight. “We are suffering here, “she stressed.
The secretary of NANNM in Kogi, Nurse Machoko Ribanre Moses, said that the Federal government had taken them for granted for too long, saying that they would continue with the strike until their demandswere met.
Some Patients Seek Medical Care In Private Hospitals
The nationwide industrial action that nurses embark on continues to affect patients in the Federal University Teaching Hospital Owerri, Imo State.
A visit to the facility revealed a scenario where some patients were being discharged for lack of required medical attention.
A patient who spoke anonymously stated that he had no choice but to seek medical care in a private hospital since nurses in the federal establishment were on strike.
According to him, Nigerians are suffering; the federal government should expedite action and settle the nurses so they can return to their duties.
In her comment, the institution’s public relations officer, Dr Jacy Achonu, stressed that they were working tirelessly to satisfy the patients and would continue to give their best in the prevailing circumstances.
Nurses Disappear From PHC In Plateau
In Plateau State, families of sick people have started evacuating them to their various homes and private hospitals.
At the Plateau State Specialist Hospital (PSSH), the long queue of old and new patients waiting to get their hand cards disappeared.
Mrs Mary David who was booked for an antenatal check-up, told our correspondent that there was no nurse to attend to some of them who were told to come today. She said she was returning home pending when the strike would be called off.
Nde Danladi John from Kanke LGA was seen inside a Keke NAPEP to evacuate his wife and son home. According to him, nobody has attended to them since yesterday (Wednesday).
No nurses were seen attending to patients at the Jos North and Jos South primary health care PHC. The doctor on duty only attended to a few people and told the rest to come tomorrow(Friday).
One of the sick people who did not want her name in print expressed disappointment over the federal government’s inability to resolve all pending issues amicably.
Our correspondent reports that the strike, which started at midnight on July 30 2025, involves a total withdrawal of services across all federal health institutions, including 74 federal hospitals, teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, specialist hospitals, and primary healthcare centres in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Nurses, Midwives Join Strike In Enugu
Finally, nurses and midwives in Enugu joined their counterparts in other states to comply with the directive to embark on strike.
Our correspondent, who visited some hospitals, observed that nurses were not rendering their regular services.
Our correspondent observed that nurses were not rendering regular services at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu.
It was also observed that activities at some Federal Health facilities were paralysed because nurses and midwives were not rendering services.
Medical Activities Crippled In Lagos
Medical activities have been crippled in Lagos as both doctors and nurses are on different strikes.
At the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, the ever-crowded corridors and emergency ward were deserted as staff and patients abandoned them, leaving beds and equipment idle.
As the Lagos doctors are expected to resume work after a three-day strike, most departments were still shut at Isolo General Hospital, with a few units operating at a skeletal capacity.
The maternity ward at Igando General Hospital was full of nursing mothers who were not attended to by the medical personnel.
Patients seen in the medical facilities who spoke with our correspondent pleaded with the government doctors, midwives and nurses to resolve all the issues they are having in the interest of the patients who are currently losing their lives as a result of the strike action.
In Niger state, the second day of the nationwide strike of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives NANNM witnessed less compliance as state hospitals opened for patients.
Unlike the first day, when patients on routine checks and billed for operations were turned back, some senior matrons were seen on duty.
The situation in the state’s hospitals was not the same as that of the Federal Medical Centre Bida, the only federal government Tertiary hospital in the state.
The Nurses at the hospital complied with the nationwide strike, as patients were turned back.
However, the state Chairman of NANNM, Dr Aliyu Adamu Muye, said there would be continuous monitoring of the enforcement of the Nationwide strike.
Nurses Join Nationwide Strike In Gombe
Healthcare delivery at major hospitals in Gombe State has been disrupted following the nationwide strike declared by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM). Reports from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Gombe and the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe (FTHG) indicate 100% compliance with the industrial action, leaving several patients stranded and critical services suspended.
A medical employee at FMC Gombe, Isa Ibrahim, confirmed the full participation of nurses at the facility and noted that similar levels of compliance were observed at the teaching hospital.
Nurses, Midwives On Casual Appointments Offer Services In Kaduna
Our correspondent, who visited the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Kaduna, discovered that while nurses and midwives on permanent employment were at home to comply with the industrial strike, nurses on casual employment continued working and attending to patients.
At the National Eye Centre and other federal hospitals, the same casual staff engaged by the hospital management to work with permanent staff manned the wards to fill the vacuum created by the striking nurses.
Union officials hung around hospital gates to send away nurses who might not want to comply with the strike.
One of the nurses on duty, Unice Chima, told our correspondent, “All of us working here are not permanent staff. We have been working here as casual workers. Only permanent staff are on strike,” she said. However, midwives in Kaduna State public hospitals did not join the strike.
Strike Crippled Activities In Benue Public Hospitals
In Benue State, the has crippled activities in the public hospitals across the state, except the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), which has been earmarked for the treatment of survivors of attacks and the sick from the camps across the 23 Local Governments.
Our correspondent visited some hospitals, such as the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) and Benue State University Teaching Hospital, where doctors attended to outdoor patients.
A Nurse who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said all the patients admitted were discharged at the commencement of the strike, which was on Wednesday, July 30th, 2025, except for the few in critical condition.
However, it was also observed that doctors attended to patients who presented with minor ailments that did not require the assistance of a Nurse.
At the Teaching hospital, it was observed that normal activities were going on with nurses attending to patients, who mainly were survivors of the recent Yelwata attacks and refugees from IDP camps across the state.
In an interview, the head of communication at BSUTH, Moses Tseznghul, said normal activities were happening because of the humanitarian crisis they had. According to him, all the survivors of the Yelwata attacks are here receiving treatment on the state government’s bill.
Corroborating what the head of Communications said, the State Chairman of NANNM, Nurse Tahav Karshio, who spoke through his media aide, Nurse Moses Mhange, in a telephone interview, told our correspondent that all the nurses who are working are the ones on probation waiting for confirmation and LOCUM Nurses who are more of adhoc staff to assist the doctors in managing the humanitarian crisis.
Some of the discharged persons who were seen at the FMC making arrangements to leave declined to comment.
Demands Must Be Met Before We Suspend Strike – Nurses
The National Chairman of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives—Federal Health Institutions Sector, Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, has insisted that the union will not suspend its ongoing strike until key aspects of its demands are addressed.
Despite a nmeeting with the Minister of Labour on Tuesday at the expiration of its 15-day ultimatum issued on 14 July, 2025, the union carried on with the industrial action on Wednesday.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, Rilwan said that the striking nurses would ignore the government’s calls to return to duty without meeting some of their demands.
Asked what would happen if the government requests that they first return to work as it considers their demands, Rilwan said, “That is what the government will ask for — that we should suspend the strike so they can look at our demands.
“We are not comfortable with that. We have to ensure that parts of the demand are attended to before we can suspend the strike.”
He said they gave the government enough time to respond to their demands before embarking on the 7-day warning strike, but nothing was done.
We’re Negotiating – FG
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that it works “in good faith” to avert any disruption in the health sector. It is holding ongoing talks with key professional groups, including nurses and doctors, to keep hospitals open and health workers on duty.
Speaking to State House correspondents after Thursday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, praised the President’s leadership in driving what he described as a “revolution” in Nigeria’s health sector.
He also addressed growing concerns about union agitation and the risk of strikes, saying the government remains committed to dialogue and compromise.
Pate highlighted “unprecedented” investments approved by President Tinubu in federal health institutions, noting visible progress in infrastructure and equipment upgrades across the country’s tertiary hospitals.
He disclosed that the FEC had approved another milestone project — upgrading the University College Hospital (UCH) oncology centre, Ibadan. “In line with this health sector renewal investment initiative and today’s approval by the Federal Executive Council of an additional oncology centre at the University College Hospital, this is a continuation of this trend of revolutionising the health infrastructure,” he said.
Pate explained that the upgrade would include installing advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment, including a linear accelerator for therapy. “This will enable Nigerians suffering from cancer to be catered for,” he said, adding that additional oncology centres in Lagos, Nasarawa, and other locations are in the pipeline alongside many other massive projects.”
The minister also referenced the recently commissioned projects at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, which he described as “perhaps one of the largest hospitals in the West African region, maybe one of the largest on the continent.”
He credited the collaborative effort of the Minister of Finance, Minister of Budget, and the wider presidential team for “delivering the vision of our President to begin to have world-class facilities all over our country.”
Regarding labour relations, Pate acknowledged the sector’s “two years of relative peace and industrial harmony,” saying the government is determined to sustain that climate despite recent tensions triggered by a controversial wage circular.
He confirmed that the government is in “active dialogue” with key associations, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which had issued an ultimatum over unresolved welfare matters.
According to Pate, the government is also addressing the demands of other health cadres, such as nurses, who have sought to centralise postings to ensure fairness. “Those, we’ve agreed, will be managed centrally — that’s the fair thing to do,” he said. “There are other, ordinary establishment issues, and we’re working to ensure we meet them.
“Not all those issues are financial, but this government is committed to ensuring that everyone in the health sector is respected and their needs addressed to the best extent possible,” Pate said, adding that further discussions with union leaders were scheduled for Thursday. He called on health workers to focus on patient care as talks continue: “We call on all health workers to put the Nigerian person at the centre of our attention.
