Healthcare services across Nigeria face major disruption starting today, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, as 25,000 nurses under the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institutions Sector, embark on a seven-day nationwide warning strike.
The industrial action, which began at midnight, follows the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued by NANNM to the federal government. This strike comes amidst an ongoing face-off between doctors and the government over welfare and other pressing issues.
Morakinyo Rilwan, the National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, confirmed that the strike would involve a total withdrawal of services across all federal health institutions.
“The 15-day ultimatum ends by Tuesday, July 29, 2025, by midnight, and the warning strike commences on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at 12:01 AM,” he stated.
The strike will impact 74 federal hospitals, including teaching hospitals, federal medical centers, specialist hospitals (orthopedic, neuro-psychiatric, and eye centers), as well as all general hospitals and primary healthcare centres in Nigeria’s 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and all 774 local government areas.
Private hospitals are not included in this strike, as “private practitioner nurses are not spread over Nigeria,” Rilwan explained.
According to Rilwan, the strike is a direct response to a range of critical issues, including poor remuneration, severe staff shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.
The union had issued its 15-day ultimatum on July 14, 2025, demanding immediate government intervention to prevent a complete healthcare shutdown. Rilwan expressed disappointment that despite the ultimatum, the federal government had not initiated any negotiations.
“Since the 15-day ultimatum was given, there has been no invitation by the federal government or federal ministry of health. So, it is imminent that the strike will take place and it is going to be a total of seven days in all federal institutions, secondary and primary health care in Nigeria,” he reiterated, emphasising that the decision was made to draw urgent attention to the critical issues affecting nurses nationwide.
Other demands include the creation of a Department of Nursing within the Federal Ministry of Health, the inclusion of nurses in health policy-making bodies, fair representation on the boards and memberships of federal health institutions, centralisation of internship postings for graduate nurses, and consultancy for nurses and midwives. The association is also demanding the withdrawal of the recently released circular on revised allowances for health workers, which affects nurses.
Rilwan emphasised the rarity of such a strike by nurses alone, noting, “Nurses alone have not gone on any strike in Nigeria for the past 40 years. Nurses went on strike last in 1984, and then some consensus was reached that made them suspend the strike at that time.”
He lamented the government’s perceived insensitivity, stating, “We’ve been appealing to the government not to let us reach the situation where we are going to go on strike but the government has remained adamant.”
He warned that if the government fails to offer a tangible response after the seven-day warning strike, the union would issue a 21-day ultimatum, in line with labour law, before embarking on an indefinite strike.
Follow us now for more news in Oyo State. Oyo Truth is an independent online news /medium reporting up-to-date events, happenings and activities related to Oyo State, Nigeria.
Leave a Reply