By steve anyebe.
National President of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives(NANNM), Michael Ekuma Nnachi, has dissociated the body of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives from a group purported to be planning a protest in Abuja and some States of the country in the name of Nurses.
The NANNM President, in a special announcement to the large gathering of delegates from all over Nigeria, said “Information just reaching us indicates that a protest is being organised by some unknown so-called Nurses, masquerading as members of our Association to hold in Abuja and other cities for their own reasons. I wish to clearly say that we know nothing about the group, they are not part of us, we have nothing to do with them. We completely dissociate ourselves from their planned protests. NANNM has in place very established modalities for settling grievances of our members and they have been effectively utilised to resolve conflicts to the satisfaction of all parties.”
Nnachi made the disclosure during the opening ceremony of the 2024 International Day of Nurses and Midwives currently holding in Abuja with the theme “OUR NURSES, OUR FUTURE: THE ECONOMIC POWER OF CARE.”
Earlier in his welcome address to participants in the planned one-week celebration, Mr Michael Nnachi emphasised the importance of the annual event to Nurses and Midwives all over the world, pointing out that it underscores the strategic importance of investing in the Nursing profession. According to him, the one-week programme would be a veritable forum for information sharing and knowledge gain, which should lead to improvement in the care given by Nurses whom he described as the backbone of the health care sector, who stand on the frontline which the future of healthcare in Nigeria depends on.
The NANNM President praised Nigerian Nurses and Midwives for working tirelessly to promote health, prevent illnesses and alleviate suffering despite the huge challenges they face in the course of duty, such as poor remuneration and uncomfortable working conditions. He charged them not to relent in their jobs as care givers, but to continue also as educators, advocates, innovators, and transformators which they have always been.
Nnachi stressed that Nurses and Midwives have the power to alter the vision of mankind by driving positive changes through policy decisions at the global stage.
The NANNM President made a passionate appeal to Governments at all levels to prioritise the Nursing profession by supporting Nurses, and empowering them to reach their full potentials through the creation of enabling environments where they can thrive and excel. He specifically demanded an enhanced salary structure for Nigerian Nurses and Midwives to mitigate the high incidents of brain drain, as well as avoidable labour crises.
