As the Nigerian nurses’ strike enters its fifth day, healthcare services across federal hospitals remain severely disrupted, leaving thousands of patients in distress.
The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has announced that its leadership is meeting today, Saturday, August 2, 2025, to evaluate the Federal Government’s (FG) latest proposal, which aims to address the nurses’ demands for better welfare, improved working conditions, and fair allowances.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the ongoing strike, which began on July 29, 2025, came after a 15-day ultimatum issued by the union on July 14.
The Nigerian nurses’ strike has crippled operations in public health institutions, with emergency units and intensive care wards particularly affected.
Reports across the country revealed that some hospitals are rejecting admissions due to the absence of nurses.
On Friday, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, had told reporters after his closed-door talks with the health workers that they had agreed to suspend their warning strike.
Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting with the leadership of NANNM, Pate said the decision to call off the strike was part of the agreements reached between the government and the association.
However, the union leaders said that they were going back to consult with their organs before deciding to suspend the four-day-old warning strike.
Speaking on the outcome of the discussion with the Minister of Health, NANNM’s Public Relations Officer, Omomo Tibiebi, said that although they have received offers from the government, they are yet to formally suspend their strike
He said the union’s National Executive Council will meet on Saturday to assess the federal government’s response before deciding on the next steps.
“There will be a National Executive Council meeting by tomorrow (Saturday), and that’s when a decision will be made, and we will know if what the federal government has promised is good enough for us to suspend the strike,” he said.
Recall that the union, representing about 25,000 nurses, is demanding an upward review of shift and uniform allowances, a dedicated nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health, and mass recruitment to address the shortage caused by over 42,000 nurses emigrating in the past three years.
