THE National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Federal Health Institutions sector (NANNM-FHI), has threatened industrial action over what it described as deliberate exclusion of its members from the Federal Government’s newly approved allowance structure for healthcare workers.
At an emergency National Executive Council meeting held on Thursday, July 11, in Abuja, the association rejected a circular issued by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The association said the commission ignored the critical contributions of nurses in the country’s federal health institutions.
The controversial circular No. SWC/S/04/S.218/III/646, dated June 27, and titled “Review of Allowances for Medical/Dental Officers in the Federal Public Service,” outlined revised benefits for doctors and dentists but made no mention of nurses, who the group said constituted between 60 and 70 per cent of Nigeria’s healthcare workforce.
Describing the development as provocative and discriminatory, NANNM-FHI President, Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, said the government’s continued neglect of nurses’ welfare would no longer be tolerated.
According to him, the document failed to address critical allowances due to nurses, including shift, uniform, specialist, call duty, and retention allowances.
Rilwan further noted that although a 2009 circular approved 30 per cent of basic salary as shift allowance for nurses, they still receive just 8.5 per cent.
“Nurses run intensive shifts, spending extended hours with patients and their relatives. Yet, our current shift allowance is just 8.5 per cent of our salary, despite a 2009 circular approving 30 per cent of basic salary,” Rilwan said.
He said the association was not consulted before the circular was issued, despite the far-reaching impact of the policy.
He stressed that among the key issues the circular failed to address were the shift allowance, uniform allowance, call duty, retention allowance, and specialist allowance for nurses.
Rilwan explained that nurses were required to change uniforms multiple times daily due to the nature of their duties.
“Uniforms are essential, not optional. At a minimum, we need three uniforms a week,” he said.
The association also condemned the selective application of specialist allowances, calling it a deliberate act of exclusion.
It further called for the immediate reconstitution of the Governing Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, which he said had been inactive for years.
The group demanded that nurses be granted representation on the boards of Federal Health Institutions, given their numerical and professional significance.
It expressed dismay over the removal of nurse educators, particularly those on Grade Levels 7 and 8, from clinical functions, despite their frontline role in student nurse training.
“The same circular states that trainers should be paid. Yet, those training others are being sidelined,” it said.
Among other demands, the association called for internship placements for university-trained nurses to facilitate their eligibility for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as well as the establishment of a Department of Nursing within the Federal Ministry of Health.
“There should be directorates for training, statistics, and clinical practice within that framework,” it said.
While reiterating that nurses remained open to engagement, the group warned that continuous government silence would only push it closer to industrial action.
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