Fresh concerns have emerged over the welfare of healthcare workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, as nurses allege they are battling unpaid salaries, shortages of essential medical supplies and deteriorating working conditions.
The allegations were made in a statement issued on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, by the Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF), which claimed that newly recruited nurses at the hospital have gone two months without receiving their salaries.
The Forum also alleged that the persistent shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly examination gloves, has forced healthcare workers to ask patients to provide gloves before certain medical procedures can be carried out.
In the statement signed by its National Coordinator, Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide, the ENF painted a troubling picture of conditions at the federal health institution, citing poor staff welfare, weak infection prevention measures, deteriorating sanitary facilities and shortages of critical medical supplies that could put both workers and patients at risk.
According to the Forum, several nurses employed this year have complained that they are yet to receive salaries for two months, while the reason for the delay has not been officially explained by the hospital’s management.
“The reason for this delay is yet to be officially established. We expect journalists to seek clarification from the hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD) so that all sides of the matter can be fairly presented. We hope the management will respond promptly and transparently to these concerns,” the statement read.
Beyond the alleged salary arrears, the ENF said the affected nurses have also not received the uniform allowance routinely paid to nurses in many other federal health institutions.
The Forum further alleged that salary disparities exist between nurses at FMC Abeokuta and their counterparts in similar federal hospitals, raising concerns that the workers may be earning less than they are entitled to under existing remuneration structures.
The ENF also expressed concern over what it described as a persistent shortage of examination gloves in some hospital wards.
According to the group, nurses have repeatedly complained that gloves are often unavailable, leaving them with no option but to ask patients to provide examination gloves before medical procedures can be performed.
It added that when additional gloves become necessary during treatment, some healthcare workers reportedly face verbal abuse from frustrated patients who believe the hospital – not patients – should provide such basic consumables.
“This situation, if true, represents a serious management failure,” the Forum stated.
“No healthcare worker should be forced to choose between providing safe patient care and exposing themselves to avoidable occupational hazards. Likewise, no patient should be expected to supply materials required for their own treatment and still provide materials needed for health workers to perform other functions.”
The ENF also drew attention to what it described as poor sanitary conditions in some hospital wards, particularly leaking toilet facilities.
According to the statement, flushing some toilets reportedly causes water mixed with faecal waste to overflow onto ward floors because of faulty plumbing systems and inadequate maintenance.
The Forum warned that such conditions are unacceptable in a healthcare facility and significantly increase the risk of environmental contamination and healthcare-associated infections.
It also alleged that some environmental health workers have complained about inadequate access to cleaning materials and protective equipment, including disinfectants, detergents, gloves and other supplies required to maintain proper hygiene standards within the hospital.
The nursing group stressed that hospitals should be places where infections are prevented and lives are protected, not environments where healthcare workers and patients face additional health risks due to inadequate infrastructure and shortages of basic medical supplies.
“A healthcare institution cannot effectively deliver quality care without adequate staffing support, timely payment of workers, sufficient protective equipment, proper sanitation, and regular maintenance of its facilities,” the Forum added.
The ENF called on the management of FMC Abeokuta and the Federal Ministry of Health to urgently investigate the allegations and, where necessary, implement immediate corrective measures.
Among its demands are the immediate payment of all outstanding salaries owed to affected nurses, prompt payment of legitimate allowances, including uniform allowance where applicable, a transparent review of alleged salary disparities, immediate provision of adequate examination gloves, PPE and other essential medical consumables across all wards, urgent repairs to leaking toilets and other defective sanitary facilities, adequate supply of cleaning materials and protective equipment for environmental staff, a comprehensive review of infection prevention and control measures, protection of staff members from victimisation for raising workplace safety concerns, and improved waste disposal systems, including the provision of appropriate waste bins.
The Forum maintained that the welfare of healthcare workers and patient safety are inseparable, warning that poor working conditions and inadequate staff welfare ultimately undermine the quality of healthcare delivery.
It urged the management of FMC Abeokuta to address the concerns transparently and engage constructively with staff, insisting that Nigerians deserve healthcare facilities capable of delivering safe, quality care while healthcare professionals deserve workplaces that protect their safety, dignity and ability to perform their lifesaving duties.