Midwives owed 8 months salary may be paid in May

The Nigerian government has promised to clear an eight-month arrears owed midwives employed under the Midwives Service scheme.
The payment will be made by May, according to a communique signed by the Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Ado Muhammad, the National President, MSS, Grace Shamonda, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Linus Awute.

The parties said the allowances were owed by the agency due to the delayed passage of the national budget and agreed that, “The allowances will be paid upon budgetary release within May, 2015”.

The midwives, about 7, 000 of them, had planned to embark on a protest in demand of their allowances which was last paid by the NPHCDA in September, 2014 for August 2014.

Most of the midwives said they have been living off money borrowed from friends and members of communities they are deployed to while some receive food supplies and other needs from their parents.

Working without pay for 8 months is indeed cruel.