It is a very popular saying that "the Laborer deserves his wages" but that seems not to be so at the National Hospital in Abuja. Information reaching Nursingworld Nigeria has it that the recently recruited nurses of the National Hospital abuja have been begging for their salaries for 5 months now. 

 

As we gathered from an affected nurse, they have only been paid 3 times since they were recruited late in November 2014. The three initial payments being for December 2014, January and April 2015. Since then it's been excuses after excuses.

 

They were told initially that they would be paid their first salary after 3 months of employment, sadly the management ended up paying only 2 months salary. 

In March the staffs complained and they were told that "IPPIS" will have to take their biometrics to avoid ghost workers. The staffs made efforts for this to happen but to no avail. After subsequent complaints the hospital paid them April salary leaving out February and March. 

 

In May 2015, the staffs succeeded in getting their biometrics taken and the hospital guaranteed them that henceforth their salary would be stable. 

 

However in June they still didn't receive Their salary making it 4 months in all.

 

Today is the 3rd day of AUGUST, July has passed and still no alert. Our investigation while speaking with older staffs of the National hosptial abuja confirmed that this was a new development and they had never been owed like this before. They attributed this delay in the affected staffs salary to probably the replacement of the chief medical director

 

As at time of writing this report, a further complaint by the affected nurses revealed that there are no immediate plans to pay them as they were told that they would be paid from SEPTEMBER 2015.

 

Bearing in mind that these nurses were not issued any housing allowance, how are they expected to pay their transport fares, bills and feed in an expensive city like abuja. We learnt that these nurses have had to borrow money just to keep up with the demands of the job. 

 

Nursingworld wishes to use this medium to reach out to the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NHA Chapter and National body), the Director of Nursing services and permanent secretary at the federal ministry of Health to intervene and save these nurses from this nightmare.

 

To the one who works, his WAGES are not counted as a GIFT but as his DUE, these laborers deserve their wages.