𝗞𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 21-𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗯𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗾 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀

By Omowumi Omotosho

The Kwara State Council of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM)has formally issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Kwara State Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, demanding immediate action on several unresolved welfare and career-related issues affecting nurses in the state.

In a strongly worded letter issued on Tuesday and signed by the association’s secretary Comrade Markus Luka, after its State Executive Council meeting, in the letter NANNM declared:

“We write to formally present several unresolved issues affecting the welfare and professional standing of our members. Despite repeated communications, these matters remain unattended to which has caused deep dissatisfaction among nurses in the State.”

One of the major grievances is the non-implementation of the approved entry point for graduate nurses. The association noted that:

“The Federal Government approved and implemented the new entry point for graduate nurses on 28th June 2022, placing them at Grade Level 10 CONHESS 09. However, Kwara State is yet to implement this directive, still placing nurses on Grade Level 08 CONHESS 07. This has created a disparity and undermined the morale of affected personnel.”

Highlighting anomalies in recent recruitments, the nurses stated: “In the recent employment at the State and Local Government level, many of our members were placed on level 08 CONHESS 07 instead of level 10 CONHESS 09. We therefore call on your office to urgently correct the anomaly.”

They also expressed deep concern over the state’s failure to adopt the 25% salary upward review on CONHESS, approved by the Federal Government:

“Since 1st June, 2023, 25% upward review has been approved by the Federal Government, which other states have implemented for their nurses. Unfortunately, Kwara State has not adopted this adjustment, resulting in salary disparity and dissatisfaction among nurses in comparison to their counterparts in other states.”

Further complaints centered on Call Duty Allowance anomalies. According to the union: “Many nurses with specialty certificates, who are qualified to receive call duty allowances, have either been omitted or are underpaid. This anomaly discourages professional development and performance. We urge the State Government to urgently review and regularize these allowances.”

They also called attention to the lack of rural and teaching allowances for nurses posted to remote areas or those involved in clinical education:

“The lack of these incentives makes such postings unattractive. We request immediate implementation of rural and teaching allowances to encourage retention and dedication.”

The union stressed the urgent need for recruitment of additional nurses to combat burnout and brain drain:

“There is a severe shortage of nurses across hospitals in the State, leading to burnout among the few available staff and increased brain drain. We call on the government to initiate urgent recruitment to fill the manpower gap in the health sector.”

Another major demand is the full application of the Unified Scheme of Service, including lateral conversion for all nurses:

“The National Council on Establishment at its 39th meeting held in Minna, Niger State, in July 2016 approved a Unified Scheme of Service for all nurses with the nomenclature ‘Nursing Officer.’ Therefore, all nurses are not subjected to lateral conversion to become Officers in line with the Scheme of Service.”

Regarding the career progression of public health nurses, the association stated:

“Public health nurses and those with single qualifications are often placed on grade levels 7 and 8 respectively; they are to all progress to level 14. But for many years they have been stagnated on Grade Level 9, which limits their career progression. We urge the State Government to align their placement with the standard applicable in other States and Federal sector and in accordance with the Unified Scheme of Service.”

The statement concluded with a clear warning and timeline for action: “In line with the unanimous resolution of the State Executive Council of NANNM, Kwara State Council, we hereby issue a 15 working days ultimatum starting from 16th April, 2025 – 8th May, 2025 by 10:00am for the resolution of the above issues. Failure to meet these demands within the stipulated period will leave us with no other option than to commence industrial action.”