Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
Zamfara’s fragile healthcare system is caught in the middle of a deepening standoff as nurses and midwives have vowed to continue their strike despite the state government’s enforcement of a “No Work, No Pay” policy.
The crisis escalated after the Zamfara State Hospital Services Management Board issued an internal memo directing all hospital heads to enforce the policy without compromise. The circular ordered the immediate opening of daily attendance registers for every staff category, with strict compliance reports to be submitted weekly to the Executive Secretary for onward transmission to the government. Medical Directors and facility heads were sternly warned of consequences for non-adherence.
But the directive has been met with outright defiance. State Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Comrade Shehu San Doki, dismissed the policy as nothing more than intimidation.
“When I saw that circular, I was not surprised because I knew such intimidation would come. But I want to assure the people of Zamfara and my members that such a threat will never stop us,” he declared.
Doki reaffirmed that the union’s members would remain at home until the government takes what they consider “the right actions.” The nurses, he said, began a seven-day warning strike on September 26, with plans to continue until October 2, 2025. Union leaders have been closely monitoring compliance to ensure members stay away from duty posts.
In a direct show of defiance, the NANNM released its own circular countering the government’s directive. The union hailed its members’ “commitment and tireless dedication to service despite poor, challenging, and unrewarding working conditions,” urging them to remain united in the face of pressure.
Comrade Doki praised the nurses’ resilience, assuring them that “no amount of threat will demoralize” their resolve. He stressed that the strike would not be suspended until the government responds to the union’s demands, even if the financial penalties of the “No Work, No Pay” policy begin to bite.
With both sides refusing to back down, the impasse has left patients in Zamfara’s public health facilities stranded, as critical services grind to a halt. For now, the strike has hardened into a battle of wills — and the people of Zamfara may pay the steepest price.