Nurses across Nigeria’s public hospitals have commenced a seven-day warning strike to demand urgent government action on poor wages, deteriorating working conditions, and a critical shortage of healthcare personnel.
The strike, which began on Wednesday, was declared by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) following the expiration of a two-week ultimatum issued to the federal government. The union warned that a full-scale, indefinite strike—the first in over two decades—could follow if their demands are not met within the week.
“We hope that before the seventh day, we’ll have the attention and a positive response from the federal government,” said Christianah Adeboboye, chairperson of the union’s Lagos chapter.
Talks between the union and a government team led by Labour Minister Muhammad Dingyadi ended without resolution on Tuesday. Union representatives criticised the meeting, particularly the absence of the Minister of Health, Ali Pate, which they said undermined the negotiations.
“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, secretary of the Lagos chapter.
The ongoing standoff underscores deepening frustration among healthcare workers in Nigeria, as the country faces a mass exodus of skilled professionals. Data from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria shows that more than 42,000 nurses have left the country in the last three years in search of better opportunities abroad.
Public hospitals nationwide are beginning to feel the impact, with patients experiencing increasing delays and disruptions in care as the strike enters its early stages.
