The National Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) – Federal Health Institutions Sector, Comrade Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, has declared that the ongoing nationwide strike by nurses will not be suspended until the federal government addresses key aspects of their demands.
Despite a meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment on Tuesday, July 30, following the expiration of the union’s 15-day ultimatum issued on July 14, the strike action continued into Wednesday across Federal Health Institutions.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, Rilwan reaffirmed the union’s resolve to press on with the industrial action, dismissing any appeal from government officials to return to work without concrete action.
“That is what the government will definitely ask for — that we should suspend the strike so they can look at our demands,” Rilwan said.
“We are not comfortable with that. We have to make sure that parts of the demand are attended to before we can suspend the strike at all.”
He noted that the union had exhausted all channels of dialogue and gave the government ample time to act, including embarking on a seven-day warning strike, but said there was no meaningful response from the authorities.
The nurses are demanding improved conditions of service, full implementation of allowances, and the correction of anomalies in their salary structure, among other pressing issues.
