BREAKING: Ondo Nurses Begin Indefinite Strike Over Government’s Neglect of Welfare

• Ondo nurses declare indefinite strike from January 31, 2025, over salary and welfare issues.
• Nurses accuse government of ignoring salary agreements and misimplementing pay adjustments.
• Strike follows frustration over unpaid salary adjustments and unmet welfare demands.

Nurses in Ondo State, under the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), have declared an indefinite strike starting Friday, January 31, 2025, citing the government’s failure to address their welfare concerns.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a press briefing on Thursday in Akure, the state chairman of NANNM, Felix Orobode, expressed frustration over the government’s neglect of the nurses’ critical role in the state’s healthcare system.

Orobode criticised the government for handling the welfare of nurses with indifference, despite their significant contributions to healthcare delivery.

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“It’s important for the public to understand the challenges Ondo State nurses have been enduring, especially in terms of our welfare,” he said. “Nurses and midwives are the most accessible healthcare professionals across the state, often taking on multiple roles such as acting as doctors, pharmacists, and even security personnel in many health centers and hospitals.”

He also highlighted the ongoing issue of brain drain, where many healthcare workers are leaving the country, yet nurses have remained committed to improving healthcare outcomes in the state.

Despite these efforts, Orobode accused the government of failing to honor agreements made in previous negotiations, particularly regarding salary adjustments and other welfare improvements.

Although a N73,000 minimum wage was approved, he claimed the salary adjustment for nurses under the CONHESS structure was riddled with irregularities, leading to the association’s rejection of the new pay implementation.

Orobode further alleged that while other healthcare professionals received salary adjustments in July 2024, nurses were excluded, intensifying their frustration.

“Despite agreeing on a new salary structure to be implemented in January 2025, we were shocked when our January salaries were paid using the old salary table, completely disregarding our agreement,” he said.

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In response to the government’s insensitivity, the association’s State Executive Council convened an emergency meeting on Thursday and resolved to go on strike.

“After evaluating our negotiations with the government, we concluded that we have been taken for granted,” the statement read. “Therefore, all nurses and midwives employed by Ondo State are directed to withdraw their services indefinitely from 12 am on Friday, January 31, 2025, until our demands are fully met.”

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