LABOUR DAY: C’ River Nurses Decry Poor Working Conditions, Says More Nurses Leaving The State Yearly
By Missang AKPET
As the world celebrates the 2025 Labour day today May 1, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has reiterated that poor working conditions have continued to plague the noble profession in the state.
The state chairman of NANNM Comrade Josephine Bassey who spoke in an interview with our correspondent said the state hast lost over 4500 nurses due to migration for greener pastures which is mostly caused by the poor working conditions they face in the state.
According to her, “Cross River state has lost Over 4000 nurses due to migration from the state employ and from the federal health institutions due to poor working conditions such as poor remuneration, lack of necessary technological apparatus in most of our facilities, lack of motivation from the government and lack of manpower to carter for the health needs of the populace in Cross River state.
“Even though there have been an upward review of health workers salaries structure in 2024 with a 25% increase., in Cross River state we are still being paid the salary structure we’ve been using 15years ago. The N70,000 minimum wage that was implemented for all workers, in the Cross River state health sector some workers had a N2,000 addition to their salaries while some noticed N3,000 while others noticed no increment at all as minimum wage consequential allowance. Same can be said of Hazard allowance and call allowances which are accrued to health workers, health workers in Cross River state civil service are not being paid all this like their colleagues in the federal civil service and those in other states” she lamented.
Speaking on the efforts of the state government to alleviate the plight of the health workers, the state chairman thanked the Governor Bassey Otu led administration for lifting the Ban on employment thereby employing more nurses into the state civil service to cushion the effect of low manpower as a result of migration.
She lamented that the nursing profession is not being carried along in decision making as concerns health in the state with nurses not being appointed as commissioner, permanent secretaries or other appointments as concerned the health system.
“The state is suffering from low manpower of nurses to cater for the health needs of Cross Riverians as a result of migration of this nurses for greener pastures. I must thank the state Governor Prince Bassey Otu who gave the word in 2024 for nurses to be employed, interviews were conducted and as we speak, I can tell you for a fact that 100 health workers have so far been employed though not all of them have received their letters of employment.
“Also, during Governor Liyel Impke’s tenure, there was an upward review of our salaries which was not approved until few months to the end of Governor Ayade’s tenure when approval was given yet without implementation.
“Governor Bassey Otu has re-approved the implementation the new salary structure and we hope and pray and are confident that this payment will see the light of the day” she said.
She however used the occasion of the international Labour day to sue for better living conditions for nurses in the state as well as ask that more nurses be employed to cover up the gap left behind by those who left.
