Nigerian nurses, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institutions Sector, today, July 30, embarked on a seven-day nationwide warning strike.

The action, which began at midnight, followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued by NANNM to the federal government.

The National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, warned on Monday, July 28, that the strike would involve a total withdrawal of services across all federal health institutions.

“The 15-day ultimatum ends by Tuesday, July 29, 2025, by midnight, and the warning strike commences on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at 12.01am.

“The action would include 74 federal hospitals – teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, specialist hospitals like orthopaedic, neuro-psychiatric, and eye centres, as well as all general hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and 774 local government areas.

“Private hospitals are not included. This is because for now the private practitioner nurses are not spread over Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, the strike was in response to issues which include poor remuneration, staff shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.

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

Rilwan stated that despite the ultimatum, the federal government had not initiated any negotiations.

He said the strike became necessary after the federal government and the Federal Ministry of Health failed to respond meaningfully to its July 14 ultimatum.

The organisation’s demands include gazetting of the nurses scheme of service approved by the NCE in 2016 in Minna, Niger State, implementation of the National Industrial Arbitration Court (NIC) judgment of January 27, 2012, upward review of professional allowance for nurses and midwives, and employment of nursing personnel and adequate provision of health facility equipment.

Other demands include creation of a department of nursing in the federal ministry of health, inclusion of nurses in the headship of the health policy-making body, a fair representation by the association on the board and membership in federal health institutions, centralisation of internship posting for graduate nurses, and consultancy for nurses and midwives.

The association is also demanding the withdrawal of the content of the recently released circular on revised allowances for health workers (Nurses).