FG RAISES NURSES’ UNIFORM ALLOWANCE TO N80,000

By: Abdul-Qoyyum Adeshola Badmus.

Date: Saturday, 7 February 2026 (19th Sha’ban 1447 AH).

THE Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved an increase in the annual uniform allowance for nurses in federal service from N20,000 to N80,000.

The approval was granted by the National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission (NSIWC), according to an official memo signed by the Commission’s Chairman, Ekpo Nta. The revised allowance represents a 300 per cent increase and takes effect from January 1, 2026.

The memo directs that the allowance be paid through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to nurses working in federal hospitals, medical centres and clinics across ministries, departments and agencies.

It also states that the payment will no longer be sourced from overhead allocations, noting that the change aligns the allowance with other statutory entitlements processed through the IPPIS platform.

The correspondence 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.

The development follows concerns previously raised by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) over the former N20,000 allowance, which the union described as inadequate.

In July 2025, the association’s Federal Health Institutions President, Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, criticised the implementation of the earlier allowance without consultation with the union and warned that unresolved welfare issues could disrupt healthcare services nationwide.

Among the union’s demands were the review of shift and uniform allowances, the creation of a separate salary structure for nurses, an increase in core duty allowance, mass recruitment of nurses, and the establishment of a Directorate of Nursing Services at the Federal Ministry of Health.

Union leaders also maintained that nurses had continued to work under challenging conditions for years, including limited access to essential equipment and protective materials.