The Federal Government has approved a significant increase in the annual uniform allowance for nurses in its employment, raising it from ₦20,000 to ₦80,000.
The approval was granted by the National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission (NSIWC) and represents a 300 per cent increase from the previous allowance. The development was confirmed in an official memo sighted on Thursday.
According to the memo, the new ₦80,000 uniform allowance will take effect from January 1, 2026, and will apply to nurses working in federal hospitals, medical centres, clinics, and other government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
The document, signed by the Chairman of the NSIWC, Ekpo Nta, stated that payment of the allowance will now be processed through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), rather than being drawn from overhead budgets.
The memo was addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, with copies sent to the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako.
It read in part:
“I hereby convey approval for the implementation of the uniform allowance of ₦80,000 per annum for nurses in federal hospitals, medical centres and clinics in MDAs through IPPIS with effect from 1st January 2026.”
The increase follows sustained pressure from the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), which in July 2025 described the ₦20,000 annual uniform allowance as grossly inadequate and insulting.
The President of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, had criticised the Federal Government for announcing the earlier allowance without consulting the association, despite its far-reaching impact on healthcare workers.
On July 14, 2025, the nurses’ union issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, warning of a nationwide healthcare shutdown if their demands were ignored.
Key demands included an upward review of shift allowance, a separate salary structure for nurses, increased core duty allowance, mass recruitment of nurses, improved working tools, and the establishment of a Directorate of Nursing Services within the Federal Ministry of Health.
The union also revealed that nurses had endured years of working with inadequate equipment, including gloves and basic medical supplies, while receiving what they described as a humiliating ₦20,000 yearly uniform budget.
