Key Points

• Zamfara nurses launched strike over welfare disputes.

• Union issued Governor Lawal 24-hour ultimatum.

• Healthcare delivery disrupted across state facilities.

Nurses all over Zamfara State have gone on an indefinite strike after giving Governor Dauda Lawal 24 hours to fix their problems with welfare and unpaid benefits. The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) led the action, which could bring healthcare services to a halt in one of Nigeria’s most dangerous areas.

According to a report by Vanguard news, union leaders say that the walkout is a last resort after making many requests to the government that went unanswered. They say that pay is still inconsistent, allowances are still not paid, and conditions at work are getting worse. They say that frontline workers have been stretched thin for months with little help, and that political promises of reform have not led to real changes in hospitals and clinics.

The healthcare crisis gets worse because of the Zamfara nurses’ strike

NANNM’s state chairman, Ibrahim Adamu, said in a statement that the government was not putting the needs of health workers first, even though patient loads were rising and security was getting worse. “We told Governor Lawal he had 24 hours to do something, but there has been no real response,” Adamu said. He said that the strike would go on until their demands were met.

Maryam Sani, the secretary of the association, said that many nurses have had to look for work outside of Zamfara because they are not being paid enough and the conditions are too harsh. This has made the staff shortages in both urban hospitals and rural clinics worse. Because of the strike, patients will have to wait longer for emergency care, maternal health services, and routine treatment.

Unions are putting more and more pressure on the governor

Governor Lawal, who promised to make changes and give civil servants better benefits when he took office, has not yet spoken out about the issue. Dr. Aisha Anka, his health commissioner, talked about the strike on a local radio show but told the union to come back to the negotiating table.

Civil society groups like the Zamfara Civil Society Forum, which is led by Bello Aliyu Gusau, warned that the industrial action could turn into a bigger health crisis if the government doesn’t act quickly. People are saying that this event is a test of the governor’s ability to balance the needs of the government with the needs of workers in a situation that is always changing.

Zamfara’s weak health system is at risk of a strike

Dr. Kabiru Danfulani of the Federal Medical Centre Gusau and other health experts warn that long-term disruptions could cause deaths that could have been avoided, especially among women and children in rural areas who depend on public hospitals. Patients like Halima Musa, a mother of two who was waiting for antenatal care, told reporters that she was afraid of being turned away.

The strike shows how hard it is for Nigerian states to deal with the fact that more and more medical professionals are going on strike to demand better pay and working conditions. Zamfara has more at stake because the state is having trouble keeping both its security and social services stable at the same time.