The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has urged the national leadership of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) to prioritise workers’ welfare and tackle casualisation in the nursing profession rather than sell the union’s property in Lagos to finance a project in Abuja.

The group said the alleged plan to sell Nurses House at 43, Churchgate Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, raised concerns about the union’s priorities at a time when nurses face workplace challenges, including casual employment, contract staffing, unlawful dismissal, intimidation and harassment.

CDWR National Chairperson Rufus Olusesan and National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, called on the union’s national leadership to halt the proposed sale of the property, which they described as a strategic investment and welfare asset for nurses.

The group said the Lagos State Government, under the administration of the late Governor Lateef Jakande, gifted the property to the union to serve as an investment and welfare centre for nurses in Lagos and across the country.

It alleged that the NANNM national leadership, working with some members of the Lagos State Council, had concluded plans to sell the property to raise funds for the proposed Durumi project in Abuja.

CDWR argued that the union should focus on defending nurses’ employment rights and improving working conditions, especially as casualisation and contract staffing continue to challenge the profession.

According to the group, many nurses in private healthcare facilities face exploitation and remain outside union representation, accusing the NANNM leadership of failing to show sufficient interest in organising them.

It also questioned the need to sell the Lagos property, citing other assets allegedly owned by the union in Abuja, including residential buildings, a guest house and several hectares of land in Gwagwalada.

The group maintained that trade unions should focus primarily on organising workers and protecting their interests, rather than expanding their property holdings.

It called on nurses to mobilise against any sale or transfer of Nurses House and urged the union to recognise the property as an asset held in trust for its members.

CDWR further demanded that the NANNM leadership consult genuine representatives of nurses in Lagos to determine how the property could be preserved for the benefit of the nursing profession.

The group also urged past leaders and rank-and-file members to prevail on the national leadership to abandon the proposed sale.

It warned that selling the property under what it described as questionable circumstances could undermine nurses’ confidence in the union and weaken trust in trade unionism.