The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) on Thursday staged a protest in Abuja over the alleged closure of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the territory’s six area councils.
Joined by members of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the protesters demanded the immediate reopening of the affected facilities, implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage, and payment of outstanding allowances and arrears.
The demonstration was in response to a growing health emergency triggered by the continued shutdown of over 270 PHCs in the FCT.
Speaking at the protest, NANNM-FCT Chairman Mr. Jama Medan decried the deteriorating health situation, citing Nigeria’s high maternal and child mortality rates.
“We have fewer than 130 nurses and midwives manning these centres. Women and children are dying because these facilities have remained closed for over a month. There’s a severe manpower shortage, and the government has yet to act,” he said.
Medan also alleged that, despite the release of over ₦4.1 billion by the FCT Minister to resolve the crisis, area council chairmen had refused to disburse funds for entitlements, including hazard and uniform allowances for health workers.
He further warned that the closure had disrupted a planned nationwide polio vaccination campaign in the FCT, increasing the risk of fresh outbreaks.
NUT-FCT Chairman Mr Abdullahi Shafa expressed solidarity with the health workers, criticising the failure to pay the minimum wage to primary school teachers, who have also been on strike for over a month. He urged the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, to act swiftly to prevent the total collapse of education in the area councils.
The NLC has threatened to escalate the protest if the minister does not meet the workers’ demands within a week.
Responding on behalf of the minister, Dr. Hayyo Danlami, Mandate Secretary of the FCT Education Secretariat, assured protesters that their letter would be delivered to the minister and that their concerns would be addressed.
