In a significant victory for Nigeria’s healthcare workers, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) officially called off its nationwide strike on August 2, 2025, after securing a comprehensive deal with the Federal Government. The week-long industrial action, which began on July 30, 2025, was launched in protest over poor remuneration, unsafe working conditions, and stalled reforms affecting nurses across the country.

Nigeria has been grappling with a chronic shortage of nurses, made worse by mass emigration to countries offering better pay and work conditions. Over 42,000 nurses have reportedly left Nigeria in recent years, leaving the health sector dangerously understaffed.

The strike was a direct response to years of government inaction. Among the nurses' nine key demands were: implementation of the 2016 Nurses’ Revised Scheme of Service, upward review of salaries and allowances, creation of a Department of Nursing under the Ministry of Health, centralized and timely internship placements for graduate nurses, and mass recruitment to fill urgent workforce gaps.

Following intense negotiations, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with union leaders, committing to all nine demands within a time-bound framework. Highlights of the agreement include: immediate gazetting of the 2016 Nurses’ Scheme of Service, a new salary and allowances structure covering uniform, shift, hazard, and retention incentives, creation of a dedicated Nursing Department within the Health Ministry to handle policy and career matters, and full protection from any disciplinary action related to strike participation.

The union suspended the strike but made it clear that implementation will be closely monitored. Should the government fail to act on its commitments within the agreed timeframe, NANNM reserves the right to resume industrial action.

This strike highlights the critical need to address long-standing issues in Nigeria’s healthcare system. If reforms are implemented successfully, this agreement could help stabilize the nursing profession and reduce workforce losses due to migration.