The Federal Government has approved an increase in the annual uniform allowance for nurses in its employment from N20,000 to N80,000.
The approval was granted by the National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission, according to a memo obtained by The PUNCH.
The new allowance represents a 300 per cent increase over the previous rate and will take effect from January 1, 2026.
In the memo signed by the Chairman of the commission, Ekpo Nta, the NSIWC directed that the allowance be paid to nurses working in federal hospitals, medical centres and clinics across ministries, departments and agencies through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.
The commission added that the payment would no longer be drawn from overhead costs, noting that the decision was taken to align the allowance with other regular entitlements processed on the IPPIS platform.
The memo, which was addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, was also copied 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.
The development comes months after the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives criticised the N20,000 annual uniform allowance, describing it as inadequate and demeaning.
In July 2025, the association’s Federal Health Institutions president, Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, faulted the implementation of the allowance without consultation with the union, despite its impact on thousands of nurses in federal service.
The nurses’ union had also issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government in July 2025, warning of a possible nationwide healthcare shutdown if its demands were not addressed.
Among the demands were a review of shift and uniform allowances, a separate salary structure for nurses, an increase in core duty allowance, mass recruitment of nurses and the creation of a Directorate of Nursing Services at the Federal Ministry of Health.
Union leaders had maintained that the former N20,000 yearly provision per nurse was insulting, adding that nurses had continued to work for years under poor conditions and with inadequate equipment, including essential protective items.