Health Workers Decry Exemption From FG's Pay Raise

Health workers under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Federal Health Institution (NANNM-FHI) sector have decried the exclusion of its members in the recent 40 per cent pay raise for federal workers.

The association on Sunday expressed its displeasure in a statement issued by the National Chairman NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, to the Newsmen in Abuja.

Rilwan said the attention of nurses and midwives in FHI of Nigeria has been drawn to the commencement of 40 per cent peculiar allowance pay rise for workers in the Federal Government establishment with outright exclusions of its members.

He described the exclusion as an aberration and attempt to cause problems in the system.

He said that nurses and other health workers have  been calling for salary adjustment since 2011, with several committees set up to this effect.

The national chairman recalled that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, earlier said before the payment that the raise was to justify the current economic reality of the country.

Rilwan quoted Ngige as saying, “The pay rise for Federal Government workers was to cushion the effects of inflation, rising cost of living, hike in transportation fare, housing and electricity tariff.”

He said that the federal government had no justification to exclude some sections of civil servants, especially in the health sector from the pay rise since everyone, including the workers patronise the same market and pay same bills.

He said the action was also coming when there is mass exodus of nurses and midwives out of the country for greener pastures with aftermath effect of increase workload on the few nurses on ground.