The planned nationwide strike by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) slated to begin today has been pushed for one more week to allow the Federal Government resolve all the outstanding issues with the workers.

The National President of NANNM, Abdul Rafiu Adeniji, who spoke to Daily Newswatch yesterday, said agreement has been reached on many of the issues at stake, but there are still others to be resolved. He said this was why the union pushed the nationwide strike a week more, so that Nigerians would not suffer unnecessarily.

This position was reinforced by the Minister for Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, yesterday, in Enugu, who said government had dissuaded the nurses from embarking on the nationwide strike.

The Minister said the National President of NANNM had confirmed to him on Saturday night, that the strike would not take place again, adding that shelving the strike was as a result of a meeting the ministries of Heath and Labour and Productivity held late last week with NANNM and other stakeholders.

“We held a meeting with them on Thursday along with the Minister of Labour and Productivity and other officials from both sides.

“They came with a full team; Chairman of Midwifery Council of Nigeria, registrar of the council and past presidents of the council, and whatever were the issues were resolved. But he said we should not make statements until they meet with their council which they have done and the decision is that they are not proceeding with the strike,” he said.

Onyebuchi also disclosed that the demands of NANNM have been taken to the National Council on Establishment, noting that he is hopeful that NANNM’s demands will sail through at the Ilorin meeting of the establishment.

“We reached at decision to take the matters to the National Council on Establishment which we have now done. The National Council of Establishments starts its meeting today in Ilorin, Kwara State, and they said they will wait for the outcome. I believe they will make their input there and it’s now beyond the Federal Ministry of Health, but they are not going on strike,” he stressed.

The minister spoke in Enugu when he paid condolence visit to the family of former president West African College of Surgeons (WACS), late Prof. Festus Nwako.

Nwako died on February 16 and will be buried on March 7, 2014, at his home town, Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The minister described the late Nwako as a mentor and an authority that Nigeria, West Africa and the world would miss.

Onyebuchi said that the deceased was the first Nigerian to write a book on paediatric surgery.

“I was his student at the post graduate level. He was a great mentor; he knew how to mentor people. There are not many mentors these days, but he was a great mentor. He rose to become President West African College of Surgeons (WACS).

“He was very sound as a doctor and surgeon. He was always current despite his age. I am a grandson of the professor; I am a professor, but I am not near him,” he said.

Kenneth Ofoma, Enugu