The Benue State chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has warned that tough measures allegedly taken against striking nurses by the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, may worsen and prolong the ongoing industrial action.
The warning was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the state chairman of the association, Tahav Kershio.
Kershio criticised the reported use of intimidation, threats, and punitive actions against nurses, describing such approaches as outdated and counterproductive to achieving peaceful and constructive dispute resolution.
Kershio said newly employed nurses were yet to be paid their salaries, while older staff members were receiving only partial payments.
He alleged threats of dismissal, removal of some nurses from confirmation and other actions capable of escalating tensions and attracting national attention to the crisis at BSUTH.
Kershio lamented that the alleged measures were being taken at a time when the union leadership was engaged in high-level negotiations with the Benue State Government, accusing the hospital management of sabotaging efforts aimed at resolving the impasse.
He said over 100 nurses were owed two to three months’ salary arrears between 2024 and 2025, while promotion shortfall arrears for 2023 remained unpaid, with affected nurses allegedly receiving N120,000 instead of the approved N750,000, among other entitlements.
Kershio added that similar unresolved issues affecting nurses under the Primary Health Care Board and the Hospital Management Board, including their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme, must be addressed before the union could consider calling off the strike.
He noted that the grievances had persisted for over a year despite repeated letters and meetings, stressing that during the nationwide nurses’ strike, newly employed nurses at BSUTH were exempted to pursue their unpaid 2024 allowances, but without success.
The NANNM chairman dismissed claims that BSUTH nurses were politically motivated or uninterested in the hospital’s welfare, describing such narratives as false and misleading.
He maintained that the association had no political agenda and had consistently acknowledged the efforts of Governor Hyacinth Alia in improving the health sector in the state.
He appealed to the Benue State Government to urgently intervene to prevent further escalation of the crisis and restore industrial harmony at the hospital.
