Source: Agency Report

Nurses used to illustrate the story

The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has stated that a majority of its demands to the federal government—about 90%—have no financial cost, emphasizing that the ongoing strike is largely about administrative justice and recognition.

The Chairperson of NANNM in Cross River State, Josephine Bassey, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar. She was speaking on the heels of a nationwide seven-day warning strike that began on Wednesday, 30 July.

Core Demands: Not About Money

Mrs Bassey clarified that the association’s demands include the implementation of previously approved policy papers, enforcement of valid court rulings, and formal gazetting of long-standing approvals by the National Council on Establishments.

“Our demands include the gazetting of the nursing scheme of service approved since 2016 and the creation of a Department of Nursing in the Federal Ministry of Health,” she said.

Other demands cover the review of provisional allowances for nurses and midwives, appointment of nurses to health boards at both federal and state levels, and urgent recruitment to address critical staffing shortages in health facilities nationwide.

Strike Sees Full Compliance

She noted that the first day of the strike saw 100% compliance across all health facilities in Cross River State. “We started as early as 7:30 a.m. to monitor all health facilities across the state to ensure full compliance,” she said, warning that any nurse who defied the directive faced sanctions from the national body.

A Call for Public Support

While acknowledging the strike’s impact on patients, Bassey urged the public to understand and support their cause. “We feel the pain of the patients, but we also urge them to cry out on our behalf to well-meaning Nigerians and the government, so our concerns can be addressed,” she said.