Nurses in Nigeria’s public hospitals started a seven-day “warning” strike on Wednesday, seeking improved remuneration, increased recruitment and better working conditions following a two-week ultimatum to the government that expired without resolution.
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) warned that if their demands are not met by next week, the union will embark on an indefinite strike, the first in over two decades.
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Christianah Adeboboye, head of the nurses’ and midwives’ union in Lagos, said, “We hope that before the seventh day, we’ll have attention and a positive response from the federal government.”
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On Tuesday, a meeting between the union and a government delegation led by Labour Minister Muhammmed Dingyadi ended in a deadlock.
“When you look at the composition of the meeting, it already shows that no outcome could have been gotten out of that meeting,” said Toba Odumosu, union secretary in Lagos, citing the absence of Health Minister Ali Pate as a critical gap.
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The impasse highlights the deepening rift between healthcare workers and the government, leaving patients vulnerable as hospitals prepare for additional delays.
According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, the union is pushing for the recruitment of more nurses, pointing to a sharp decline in personnel as over 42,000 nurses have left Nigeria for jobs abroad in the past three years.
