NURSES and midwives at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH-TH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have embarked on an indefinite strike to demand the implementation of Nigeria’s new national minimum wage and resolution of long-standing welfare issues.
In a statement on Saturday, September 20, the unit chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Ojewumi Olutayo, and secretary, Adedokun Foluwake, accused the government of failure to heed repeated appeals for improved conditions of their members.
The action, which the association said began on Friday, September 19, followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum to the hospital management.
The statement also noted that repeated engagements with management and the Oyo State government had failed.
Their demands include immediate implementation of the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustments backdated to January 2025, payment of promotion arrears from 2018 to 2024, urgent recruitment of additional nurses to address acute shortages, and renovation and proper furnishing of nurses’ stations and restrooms.
“LAUTECH Teaching Hospital workers have suffered systemic neglect, with their welfare consistently overlooked compared to counterparts in other state-owned health institutions in the state who already enjoy improved packages,” the group said.
The union noted that prolonged delay had created financial strain, low morale, and an exodus of skilled personnel, warning that the strike would continue until all demands are met.
While calling on the state Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene in the issue quickly, the association cautioned that the strike would severely disrupt services for thousands of patients, including pregnant women, children, accident victims, and other emergency cases.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu on Monday, July 29 signed the National Minimum Wage Act 2024 Amendment Bill into law, approving a minimum wage for civil servants from N30,000 to N70,000.
However, implementation has been weak and uneven, with several state governments and institutions yet to adjust salaries or release arrears.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M