JUST IN: Nurses, midwives suspend strike

The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has called off its warning strike, the Minister of Health, Ali Pate, announced on Friday.

Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting on Friday, Pate said the decision followed agreements reached with the leadership of the nursing association.

However, the leaders of the union declined to speak on the matter after the closed-door meeting on Friday afternoon.

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 issued on July 14, 2025.

The warning strike involving nurses in public health institutions across the country was expected to continue till August 5, 2025.

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The strike stemmed from longstanding concerns about nurses’ welfare and poor working conditions, and the government’s reluctance to address their concerns.

The union had demanded improved welfare, fair allowances, and better working conditions for nurses across federal health institutions.

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

“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 had noted.

The nurses’ demands include the upward review of shift allowance, adjustment of uniform allowance, implementation of a separate salary structure for nurses, 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 decision to down tools was not unilaterally taken by the union’s leadership, but driven by a groundswell of frustration among members over long-standing neglect.