The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives has ended its warning strike, the Minister of Health, Ali Pate, announced on Friday.
Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting in Abuja, Pate said the decision was made after the government and union leaders reached an agreement.
However, the leaders of the nurses’ union did not speak to the press after the meeting.
The nurses and midwives had started a nationwide warning strike on July 29 to demand better welfare, fair allowances, and improved working conditions in federal hospitals.
The strike affected public hospitals across Nigeria and was supposed to last until August 5.
During the strike, patients in some hospitals, such as those in Kaduna, complained that they were suffering due to the absence of nurses.
Earlier, the National Chairman of the union, Morakinyo Rilwan, had blamed the Federal Government for ignoring the group even after they gave a 15-day warning on July 14.
“As far as we know, the government did not respond,” Rilwan had said. “That’s why we went ahead with the strike. They had enough time to act.”
He also said that even if the government reached out during the strike, it would not stop the action because the union had waited long enough.
The nurses’ demands include higher shift and uniform allowances, a special salary structure for nurses, increased core duty allowance, recruitment of more nurses, and the creation of a nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health.
Rilwan had explained that the strike was a result of the anger and frustration felt by many nurses who believe they have been ignored for years.
