FCT Nurses, Others protest closure of Healthcare Centres, demand payment of entitlements

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) on Thursday took to the streets of Abuja in protest over the alleged shutdown of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the six area councils of the FCT.

Their demands include the immediate reopening of the affected healthcare centres, implementation of the proposed N70,000 minimum wage, and payment of outstanding allowances and arrears.

The demonstration also saw the participation of members from the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The protest was a response to the worsening health crisis following the prolonged closure of over 270 PHCs within the territory’s six area councils.

While addressing protesters, Mr. Jama Medan, Chairman of NANNM-FCT, expressed deep concern over the deteriorating health situation, noting that Nigeria ranks second globally in maternal and child mortality rates.

He warned that the continuous shutdown of health facilities would only worsen the crisis.

“We have fewer than 130 nurses and midwives managing these centres. Women and children are dying daily because these facilities have remained shut for over a month.”

“There’s a serious shortage of manpower, and no one in government is responding to this emergency,” Medan said.

He further alleged that despite the release of over N4.1 billion by the FCT Minister to resolve the crisis, the area council chairmen had failed to pay the health workers’ entitlements, including hazard and uniform allowances.

Medan also raised alarm over the disruption of a nationwide polio vaccination campaign within the FCT due to the closure of the centres, cautioning that the territory could face a resurgence of the disease.

In solidarity, the Chairman of the NUT in the FCT, Mr. Abdullahi Shafa, condemned the non-payment of the minimum wage to primary school teachers, pointing out that the teachers had been on strike for over a month.

He urged the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to act quickly to prevent a total breakdown of the education sector in the area councils.

Similarly, the NLC issued a warning, threatening to join the protest if the authorities failed to meet the workers’ demands within a week.

Reacting to the demonstration, Dr. Hayyo Danlami, Mandate Secretary of the FCT Education Secretariat, who represented the Minister, promised to deliver the protesters’ demands to the minister and assured them that their grievances would be addressed.