The immediate past President of the Nigeria LabourCongress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba has said the free fall of the naira and other issues in the country have driven workers and pensioners into extreme poverty, as their earnings could no longer sustain them.

Wabba who spoke at the 2023 Annual FCT Nurses Week/Scientific Conference with the theme; ‘Our Nurses Our Future’ on Wednesday in Abuja, charged nurses not to be deterred by the harsh economy and struggle to meet their daily needs, in saving lives and helping to keep people healthy.

While noting that the country was in a helpless situation that needs to be urgently addressed and the health sector was flooded with diverse challenges in need of urgent attention, Wabba urged the government at all levels to diverse strategies that would fix the free fall of the Nigerian currency.

He said: “Let me use this occasion to continue to appreciate and celebrate our nurses for working very hard to save lives, heal the sick, and keep our people healthy.

“I encourage you to continue to work hard despite the current challenges. Challenges facing the health sector are very daunting. The indices are not pointing to the fact that our healthcare system is working optimally.

“Basically also, by extension all working class, especially those on fixed wages have been stretched beyond their limits including

pensioners because our earnings certainly cannot meet even our immediate needs.

“The current inflation rate of 24.08% which is the highest in our country for more than 10 years, occasioned by the free fall of the naira and very high cost of living, have pushed many people including the working class into extreme poverty, this is the reality.

“I Call on government at all levels to remedy this situation because workers and pensioners are not finding it easy.”

Minister-designate, Yusuf Tanko Sununu who raised concerns over the high number of nurses living in the country in search of greener pastures in other countries, gave assurances that once principal officers whom he insisted have the capacity to lead were given portfolios, the health sector would be better for it.

“We have a team in place ready to build everything about quality healthcare delivery so that by the time the government is going to start, I am sure we will all be happy we have put capable hands that will be able to deliver.”

Chairman National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) FCT, Comrade Deborah Yusufu noted that the role of nurses was critical to saving lives, dispensing comfort, compassion, and care, stressed the need for increased investment especially in the training and retraining of nurses and midwives to enable them to meet up with current global nursing practices.

She said: “We must continue to provide training opportunities for nurses in order to help them excel.” (New Telegraph)