Ondo nurses begin strike, ground gov’t hospitals

Nurses in the workforce of the Ondo State government have declared an indefinite strike action in all the state-owned government hospitals over the alleged refusal of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration to address their plight. The nurses, under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), announced the decision at a press […]

Nurses in the workforce of the Ondo State government have declared an indefinite strike action in all the state-owned government hospitals over the alleged refusal of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration to address their plight.

The nurses, under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), announced the decision at a press briefing on Thursday, held in Akure, the state capital.

Felix Orobode, Chairman of NANNM, lamented that Aiyedatiwa’s administration had been handling nurses’ welfare with levity despite their contributions to the health sector.

Orobode noted that it was pertinent to let the public know what nurses in the state had been enduring, especially regarding their welfare.

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He accused the state government of failing to honour some agreements reached with the nurses during previous negotiations on salary adjustments and welfare improvements.

Orobode said that despite the approval of the N73,000 minimum wage, the salary adjustment for nurses under the CONHESS structure was characterised with irregularities, hence prompting the nurses association to reject the implementation.

“Since the year 2023, various engagements were held with the government where we tabled our demands, but none of them was thoroughly addressed.

“These demands include lateral conversion (point-to-point) for our nurses with first degree certificate, uniform allowance for nurses as captured in the Public Service Rule, payment of arrears of promotion and hazard allowances, conducive environment of our health facilities with provision of adequate hospital equipment to work with and proper placement/remuneration of our nurses and midwives.

“After several rounds of negotiation, we agreed on a new salary structure with the implementation set for January 2025. To our dismay, however, the January 2025 salaries were paid using the old salary table, completely disregarding our agreement,” he added.

Reiterating that the government had taken them for granted by not addressing their plights, Orobode said the association’s State Executive Council held an emergency meeting and resolved to embark on an indefinite strike.

“After reviewing our discussions with the government, we concluded that we have been taken for granted.

“We, therefore, direct all nurses and midwives under Ondo State’s employment to withdraw their services indefinitely from 12am on Friday, January 31, 2025, until our demands are fully met,” he added.

Daily Trust reports that the strike has paralysed medical activities in all the state government owned hospitals across the 18 local government areas of the state.

Meanwhile, all efforts to get reactions of the state government on the matter proved abortive.

Aiyedatiwa had last week sacked the commissioners, who were members of the State Executive Council (SEC).