There was considerable confusion on Friday over the status of the ongoing nationwide strike by nurses under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
Earlier in the day, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, had announced that the strike had been called off. However, this was quickly contradicted by NANNM leadership, who stated that no official decision had been made regarding an end to the industrial action.
Rilwan Olajide, National Chairman of the Federal Health Institutions (FHI) arm of NANNM, clarified that any decision on whether to suspend or continue the strike would only be made during the upcoming National Executive Council (NEC) meeting. According to him, the meeting could take place sometime this weekend, and until then, the strike remains in effect.
There are growing indications that the Federal Government has made some key promises to the nursing professionals in a bid to end the strike. Insiders suggest that discussions are ongoing and that the NEC may lean toward suspending the strike before the end of the weekend if concrete commitments are confirmed.
Supporting this development, the Minister of Health told State House Correspondents in Abuja on Thursday that the President had approved financial releases to meet some of the nurses’ demands. He explained that the Ministries of Health and Finance, along with the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, are currently coordinating efforts to ensure speedy disbursement of the approved funds.
Despite these assurances, the final decision still rests with NANNM’s NEC, whose verdict is expected to shape the immediate future of healthcare services across the country.
