By Ghazali Ibrahim
In the past two years, Nigeria’s nurses and midwives have staged at least three major industrial actions, two at the state level and one nationwide over persistent grievances involving inadequate pay, allowances, staffing shortages, and stalled career progression.
In Oyo State, the National Association of Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) issued a 14‑day ultimatum in early May 2024 over issues ranging from understaffing and under‑recruitment to incorrect promotion dates and the failure to implement a 25% revised pay structure (CONHESS).
When these demands were unmet, members commenced an indefinite strike on May 21, 2024.
Similarly, the Ondo State Council of NANNM declared an indefinite strike beginning January 31, 2025, after repeated negotiation failures. Nurses demanded correction of conversion exercise anomalies, payment of backlogged wages, hazard and uniform allowances, and implementation of agreed promotion structures.
At the federal level, a nationwide seven‑day warning strike began on July 29‑30, 2025, after a 15‑day ultimatum expired.
Nurses demanded better shift, uniform, specialist and retention allowances, mass recruitment to fill gaps left by mass emigration, and recognition in policymaking.
Officials warned of escalating to an indefinite strike if their demands were not addressed.
Underlying these strikes are long‑standing issues identified in Nigeria’s health sector: poor leadership and management, dilapidated infrastructure, delayed or unpaid allowances, and spoken but unfulfilled promises.
The brain‑drain is severe, with over 42,000 nurses having left Nigeria in the past three years, worsening staffing deficits.
The frequency and escalation of nurses’ strikes from local disputes to nationwide stoppages which reflect systemic dysfunction.
As nurses constitute 60–70% of the Federal healthcare workforce, prolonged withdrawals cripple service delivery. Recent Abuja hospital shutdowns and mounting patient backlogs underscore an urgent need for intervention.
In response, the government approved a new National Industrial Relations Policy (NIRP) in July 2025, designed to establish clearer frameworks for dispute resolution, collective bargaining, and labour engagement across sectors.
As Nigeria continues to navigate a fragile healthcare landscape, closing the gap between frontline workers’ demands and government action may be essential to preventing more widespread service disruptions and workforce attrition.
