The Federal Government has promised to gazette the Nurses’ Scheme of Service approved by the National Council on Establishments (NCE) in 2016.
Already, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has written to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation regarding the need to gazette the Scheme of Service, while the Director of Nursing in the Federal Ministry of Health and the office of the Secretary General of NANNM are to follow up with the Head of Service and the Federal Government Printer to ensure that the gazetting is completed within four weeks.
The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) began a seven-day warning strike on Wednesday due to ongoing demands, including an increase in shift allowances, revision of uniform allowances, a separate salary structure for nurses, an increase in core duty allowances, mass recruitment of nurses, and the establishment of a nursing department within the Federal Ministry of Health, among other issues.
However, the strike was suspended on Saturday after a virtual meeting of NANNM’s National Executive Council.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the federal government and NANNM at the end of the conciliation meeting held on August 1, 2025, which The Guardian sighted, showed that it has been agreed that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will immediately instruct the Nursing Council to establish modalities for the central placement of nurses for internship, similar to arrangements made for others.
It added that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) is to complete the ongoing process of centralising placement, as done for other professional groups, taking into account the needs of states to avoid concentration in Abuja and Lagos.
Regarding the implementation of the National Industrial Court Judgment and the creation of the Department of Nursing at the Federal Ministry of Health, it was resolved that the matter be referred to the Ministry of Justice for interpretation and compliance with the NICN Judgment.
Regarding the professional allowances demanded by the nurses, the parties agreed that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will hold separate discussions with each of the major blocks of the Health Professional Unions on the proposals. These discussions will include the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC), the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office, HCSF, and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The aim is to agree on the way forward within two weeks.
Regarding the demand for fair representation of NANNM on the Board of Tertiary Health Institutions, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare assured the union that the Ministry would treat the Nurses fairly and equitably in the appointment of the Boards of the Tertiary Health Institutions, in accordance with the Acts establishing the institutions. A letter confirming this has been sent.
