PHOTO FILE: Nurses

The National Chairman of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives – Federal Health Institutions Sector, Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, has insisted that the union will not suspend its ongoing strike until key aspects of their demands are addressed.

Despite holding a meeting with the Minister of Labour on Tuesday at the expiration of its 15-day ultimatum issued on 14 July, 2025, the union carried on with the industrial action on Wednesday.

Speaking on a national television on Thursday, Rilwan said that the striking nurses will ignore calls by the government to return to duty without meeting some of their demands.

Asked what would happen if the government requests that they first return to work as it considers their demands, Rilwan said, “That is what the government will definitely ask for — that we should suspend the strike so they can look at our demands.

“We are not comfortable with that. We have to make sure that parts of the demand are attended to before we can suspend the strike at all.”

He said that they gave government enough time to respond to their demands before embarking on the 7-day warning strike, but nothing was done.

On Wednesday, the Minister of Labour, Muhammadu Dingyadi, appealed to the nurses and midwives to suspend their ongoing strike, saying that it is not the best solution to industrial disputes.

The Minister urged the Association to embrace dialogue while the government continues to work on addressing their concerns.

According to him, meeting will continue on Friday at the Ministry of Health, as the government works out a resolution to the dispute.

Speaking further on the programme, the Chairman of the Nurses and Midwives Union said that although it is not in the nurses’ nature to embark on strikes, the industrial action became their last resort to get the government’s attention.

He said that the union must see commitment on the part of the government to consider ending the warning strike.

“It’s not actually in the nurses’ attitude to embark on a strike, and we have been patient enough because we are compassionate. Nurses are empathetic with their patients, we love our patients and don’t want anything to happen to them. But we waited for a long time for all these demands to be met. So, this strike happens to be the last option we have to get the government’s attention.

“Based on the insincerity and insensitivity on the part of the government, I believe some parts of these demands must be met before we can suspend the strike. We have to see serious commitment from the government before taking that step,” he said.