The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Kaduna State Council, has issued a warning of a statewide strike in 2026 over the deliberate neglect of health authorities to conduct promotion exercises for several years.
This follows an ongoing two-week strike at the National Ear Care Centre in Kaduna, which has already left specialized patients without essential care.
While the state government implemented a new salary structure, “CONHESS 2024” last year to curb the brain drain of medical professionals, nurses argue that financial gains are meaningless without the professional dignity of career advancement.
The tension has compounded the national nursing shortage as thousands of Nigerian nurses migrate annually to the UK, Canada, and the US for greener pasture.
Comrade Ishaku Yakubu, NANNM Chairman, declared that the union will officially launch a strike action if the Ministry of Health does not schedule promotion interviews.
The union warned that if specialized federal institutions do not meet their demands, they will call for a total shutdown involving all general and primary healthcare centers across the state.
We shall in 2026 declare an industrial dispute with the state ministry of health and her parastatals that refuse to conduct promotion exercises as at when due… Promotions are a statutory right, not a favor – Comrade Ishaku Yakubu, NANNM Chairman
Civil society groups are calling on Governor Uba Sani to personally intervene, as the planned strike would leave millions of vulnerable residents without access to life-saving maternal and emergency care.
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