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Total shut-down in health sector looms as NMA, nurses  await FG’s response to demands

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Total shut-down in health sector looms as NMA, nurses  await FG's response to demands

The Nigerian health sector may suffer another convulsions if the federal government fails to act on agreements reached  over series of demands by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).

The health sector workers are not impressed by government’s lackadaisical attitudes to a slew of demands – meant to reposition the battered sector for greater efficiency – which they have tabled but which government has allegedly been playing hide and seek.

Things came to a head last week when the National Association of Nurses and Midwives embarked on warning strike. The nursing and midwives association had last Tuesday said that they would commence  seven-day warning strike on Wednesday last week.

The members  voiced  determination to complete the strike even if the government called for negotiations.

Speaking on Tuesday, the National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, said the government had 15 days to respond to their demands but failed to act.

The union, on July 14, 2025, issued a 15-day ultimatum to the federal government, demanding immediate intervention to prevent a total healthcare shutdown.

Some of their demands include upward review of shift allowance, uniform allowance adjustment, a separate salary structure for nurses, increased core duty allowance, mass employment of nurses, and the establishment of a nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health, among others.

Rilwan said, “As far as we are concerned, there has been no communication from the government to this moment. That is why we are saying the strike is going on, and nothing is stopping it.

“Even if the government calls today or tomorrow, it won’t stop the strike. They had enough time.

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But in spite of the threat by nurses and midwives, the government went to work to curtail the damage already done to health sector as hospitals were hit by the industrial action leaving thousands of patients unattended to.

Business As Usual

After three days the federal government got them back to work after a closed door meeting with the Health Minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, in Abuja on Friday.

Pate, who spoke to journalists after the meeting, confirmed that the industrial action had been called off based on agreements reached with the union’s leadership.

“The strike has been suspended,” the minister said. “We had productive discussions, and we reached a consensus with the leadership of the nurses’ association.”

Leaders of NANNM did not offer any comments after the meeting, declining to speak to the press.

The strike was initially planned  to last until August 5 and affected public health institutions across the country.

A Greater Threat Ahead

Two weeks before the nurses and midwives sounded a note of warning about impending strike, the Nigeria Medical Association had already planned to embark on strike over series of issues bordering on government’s refusal to abide by the terms of agreements reached in previous meetings.

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But after a very rowdy meeting on July 22, 2025 which lasted from 2:30 p.m. on Saturday to 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, the NMA  agreed to suspend the proposed strike over the new circular issued by the National Salary, Income and Wages Commission on reviewed allowances for Medical and Dental Officers in the Federal Public Service and to give the government another 21 days to address the issues in contention, according to Business Hallmark’s investigations.

Meanwhile, the association was said to have  signed another Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Government on implementation of agreements reached on adjustment of salary packages and Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria, among others.

Recall that the  NMA had on July 2, 2025, rejected the new circular issued by the National Salary, Income and Wages Commission on reviewed allowances for Medical and Dental Officers in the Federal Public Service,  saying it was  a violation of previous collective bargaining agreements.

The association, while calling for President Tinubu’s interventions, gave the government a 21-day ultimatum to come up with a new circular that reflects previous agreements reached between the duo to avert disruption in the health services rendered to the Nigerian people.

President of the NMA, Prof. Bala Audu, stated that the Circular (SWC/S/04/S.218/III/646) dated 27th June, 2025, was grossly misleading and constituted a flagrant violation of the spirit and letter of the agreements painstakingly reached during the collective bargaining process between the NMA and the Federal Government.

Business Hallmark learnt  that after the ultimatum was issued, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, invited the association to a meeting to find out their grievances.

It was  gathered  that another meeting was held on this issue on July 22, 2025, at the instance of the Minister of Labour and Employment, and had in attendance the Minister of Health, Director General of the Budget Office, representative of the Minister of Finance, and the Chairman of the National Salaries and Wages Commission, as well as the host minister, during which it was agreed that a sub-committee meeting should be convened.

Sources at the meeting hinted that the government agreed to sign a new MOU with the NMA on Friday July 31. However, only a few people from the government’s negotiating team were in attendance, causing the NMA delegates to leave in annoyance.

The sources stated that the NMA had fixed its NEC meeting for Saturday, adding that the government later invited the association for the signing of the MOU on Saturday.

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Agreement Without Substance

Though the agreement had been signed, there were palpable fears by the delegates from the NMA that the MOU might not carry weight, considering that the signing was not done by any of the Ministers (Labour, Health, or Finance) or the Permanent Secretaries in the respective ministries, but by Directors, who cannot be held responsible.

“No Minister, Permanent Secretary, including the Chairman of the Salaries and Wages Commission signed the MOU. The MOU was signed by Directors, who cannot be held responsible. They categorically stated that the MOU was signed by people that were not supposed to sign it,” the source said.

This medium learnt  that this fear  and a sense of apprehension were expressed by virtually all the delegates during the NMA NEC meeting, who were initially of the opinion that the association should proceed with the strike and that the NMA capitation from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) should be used to mobilize for the strike action.

It was gathered that  the NMA President, however, told the delegates that since he had just signed an MOU, it would be wrong for him to shut down the health sector and pleaded that the association give the government another chance to meet the association’s demands.

“He said, ‘I just signed an MOU today and you are telling me that we should go on strike the same day? I will not do that. It is better for me to step aside so that the 1st Vice President can take over.’”

This, according to the sources, led to a rowdy session, which made the NMA President offer to step aside so that the 1st Vice President could take over.

“He stepped aside and left the meeting hall, prompting all the elders, including past presidents, past secretary generals, and others, to go and talk to him. When the meeting reconvened, they put the issue of whether the strike should hold or not to a vote, and those against the strike outnumbered those in favor. They agreed not to go on with the strike but rather to give the government another 21-day ultimatum,” the sources added.

 

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As the ultimatum date draws near, there is a sense of foreboding in the sector, as no one knows what the government is doing to forestall another strike.

Dr. Alade Koleoso, a consultant gynaecologist, told Business Hallmark that “there is a need for the government to consider declaring national emergency on health sector, considering all the challenges. The sector is too sensitive and important to toy with. If you go abroad in virtually all the hospitals of note you will find a Nigerian doctors. Why can’t government give our health sector a much needed attention and address the challenges. That’s the core demands of NMA.

Another doctor, Hyacinth Obumselu said that “the story that three top Nigerians were at the hospital in London where Buhari died should have been a wake-up call for the government to address the demands of health professionals, but as usual government is paying lip service. They will only get serious if it is something that affects them. Imagine a scenario, where nurses, midwives and doctors going on strike for two weeks? What could have happened?”

The next one month will prove decisive in the health sector.

 

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