‘We Are Not ATM Machines’: Lagos Nurses Lament ‘Forced’ N25,000 Payments For Senior Officers’ Retirement Celebrations | Sahara Reporters
The notice directed nurses to contribute according to their grade levels, with those on Grade Levels 15 to 17 asked to contribute N25,000, while nurses on Grade Levels 12 to 14 were assigned N15,000 contribution.
Nurses under the Lagos State Health Service Commission (HSC) have raised concerns over alleged compulsory financial contributions imposed on them for the retirement celebrations of senior nursing officers.
The controversy followed an internal notice informing nurses that they must contribute money according to their grade levels, towards the retirement of Nurse Cole Adebukola, Director of Nursing Services at Lagos State Health Service, and Nurse Awobajo Oluranti of the Directorate of Nursing.
According to the notice, Nurse Cole is scheduled to retire on December 18, 2026, while Nurse Awobajo is expected to retire on December 11, 2026.
The notice directed nurses to contribute according to their grade levels, with those on Grade Levels 15 to 17 asked to contribute N25,000, while nurses on Grade Levels 12 to 14 were assigned N15,000 contribution.
Nurses on Grade Levels 8 to 10 were mandated to contribute N10,000, while those on Grade Level 7 were asked to pay N5,000.
The notice instructed nurses to make the payments to their respective ward managers for onward collation to the HSC.
“Payment should be made to your ward managers, for onward collation to HSC,” the notice stated.
SaharaReporters gathered that the directive has triggered anger among some nurses who questioned why workers should be required to finance celebrations for their superiors at a time of economic hardship.
A source at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital told SaharaReporters that nurses at the facility had also been informed that they might be required to contribute as much as N20,000 towards Cole’s retirement.
“They have announced it at my place of work, saying we should get ready that we may have to contribute up to N20,000 for Cole’s retirement,” the source said.
“Me, I have said I will not pay again because even when her daughter got married, they also made it a compulsory contribution for all HSC nurses in which I paid to avoid problems.”
The development has also drawn attention to an alleged similar practice surrounding the retirement and 60th birthday celebration of Olurotimi Julius Awojide, the immediate past chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in Lagos State.
An announcement by Ebute-Meta General Hospital indicated that Awojide’s statutory retirement and 60th birthday celebration would be held on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
A source alleged that nurses at the hospital were required to contribute at least N30,000 each, with the amount increasing for workers on higher grade levels.
“The least nurses in his hospital contributed is N30,000 per person and that for individuals in level 7/8. The amount increases by level,” the source said.
The allegations prompted the Elegant Nurses Forum to issue a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide, declaring that nurses were workers and should not be treated as personal sources of funding for retirement ceremonies, weddings or other private celebrations.
The ENF condemned the practice as exploitation, accusing the HSC of turning nurses into “ATM machines” for bosses’ parties.
The group demanded an immediate end to compulsory contributions for retirement ceremonies, weddings, birthdays and other private celebrations involving senior officers or their family members.
“The Elegant Nurses Forum considers this development unacceptable and strongly condemns any attempt to force or intimidate Nurses into making financial contributions for a celebration they may not be willing or financially able to support,” the ENF said.
The group said the alleged practice was particularly troubling because nurses were already dealing with economic hardship, poor welfare, inadequate remuneration and rising living costs.
It also alleged that nurses had previously been pressured to contribute towards the wedding of a senior officer’s child.
“We find it extremely disturbing that Nurses, who are already struggling to survive, could be subjected to repeated financial demands for private celebrations involving their superiors or members of their families,” ENF said.
The group argued that while colleagues should be free to voluntarily support one another, official positions should not be used to transform voluntary contributions into compulsory payments.
“Nobody should be punished, intimidated, threatened or victimised for refusing to contribute money to a private celebration,” the group said.
According to the group, retirement should be treated as an institutional milestone rather than a financial burden imposed on already struggling workers.
It called on the HSC to take responsibility for retirement ceremonies it chooses to organise rather than shifting the financial burden to individual nurses.
The ENF also questioned the alleged practice of making nurses contribute towards the weddings of senior officers’ children.
“Why should Nurses be forced to pay for the wedding of somebody else’s child?” the group asked.
“Why should a Nurse who is struggling to pay rent, feed their family, pay school fees, repay educational loans or transport themselves to work be compelled to finance somebody else’s celebration?”
The ENF said nurses were already spending significant portions of their income on professional development and additional qualifications, sometimes taking loans or borrowing money to advance their careers.
The group argued that nurses who acquire additional qualifications and meet relevant requirements should receive appropriate career progression and financial recognition.
It further linked nurses’ welfare to patient care, warning that workplace financial pressure and intimidation could affect the psychological wellbeing of healthcare workers.
“The welfare of Nurses is a patient-safety issue,” the ENF said, demanding an immediate end to compulsory or coercive contributions towards Cole’s retirement celebration and similar events involving other officers.
The group also called on the Lagos State Government and HSC to investigate complaints of compulsory financial contributions and determine whether official authority had been used to pressure nurses for money.
It urged relevant anti-corruption agencies to investigate credible allegations of financial coercion involving public servants and establish whether any financial, administrative or anti-corruption rules had been breached.
The ENF further demanded a confidential and independent mechanism through which nurses could report alleged financial coercion and workplace intimidation without fear of retaliation.
The group said all contributions from workers towards social events should be genuinely voluntary, with no threats, intimidation, victimisation or career consequences attached to refusal.
It also called for improved government funding for continuing professional education and better recognition for nurses who obtain additional qualifications.
The ENF stressed that it was not opposed to retirement ceremonies, weddings or colleagues supporting one another.
“We are against coercion,” the group said. “We are against using official authority to pressure workers for money.
“We are against turning Nurses into compulsory sources of funding for the personal celebrations of their superiors.”
The group stressed, “Nurses must not be turned into ATM machines for their bosses’ parties.”