FMC Nurses Insist End-of-Year Programme Remain Voluntary, Clarify on Staff Contributions
The Nurses of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital, have insisted that its annual end-of-the-year scientific lecture and related activities have always been voluntary.
The response followed the allegations that the department is compelling nurses, intern nurses and other categories of staff to contribute financially towards a proposed 2026 end-of-year celebration.
According the the nurses under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and Nurse Leaders at the hospital, the annual programme is a long-standing professional tradition spanning more than two decades and should not be misrepresented as a compulsory exercise.
Hopsital's Head of Nursing Services, Nurse Abosede Fagoyinbo, who made the clarification in an interview with NEWSREPORTER, Personnel explained that the end-of-the-year activities were initiated by successive Nurse Leaders to provide opportunities for professional development, thanksgiving, staff bonding and community service.
Fagoyinbo added that the annual programme has over the years featured scientific lectures, health outreach activities, social responsibility projects, funfair, thanksgiving services and appreciation events designed to strengthen teamwork and professional relationships among members of staff.
The Chief Nurse maintained that participation in the programme, including financial contributions, had historically been voluntary and based on the willingness of interested staff members.
According to her, the programme was never intended to compel participation, noting that staff members who choose not to participate remain free to exercise that right without any form of coercion or victimization.
"The programme has historically been sustained through the voluntary participation and collective contributions of interested members of the Nursing Services Department," the statement said.
She also argued that healthy social interaction among healthcare professionals contributes to staff morale, effective communication and improved patient care, adding that such activities should not be viewed as distractions from clinical responsibilities.
While acknowledging that differences of opinion are inevitable in a large organisation, the nurses urged staff members to utilise established institutional channels for resolving grievances instead of taking unresolved workplace issues to social media or public advocacy platforms.
According to them, allegations against staff members or hospital authorities should be properly investigated before being presented publicly as established facts.
Fagoyinbo expressed concern over what she described as repeated public discussions of internal workplace matters, especially through the publications linked to the Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) and Sahara Reporter, warning that unverified allegations and personal attacks could undermine public confidence in the hospital.
The FMC Abeokuta Chief Nurses clarified that the concern was not about employees' right to seek redress but about ensuring that grievances are communicated responsibly, accurately and through appropriate institutional mechanisms.
"I challenge the faceless Elegant Nurses, Sahara Repoter and their cohorts to come forth with their evidences of forceful demands for the payment of the End-of-year contribution from any nurse including the interns"
"It is shameful that the two plarforms had sustained campaign of calumny against FMC Abeokuta just to paint the centre in bad light before the public, especially one Abiodun Thomas Olamide, who I learnt is jobless and if that is her true position, whe can approach FMCA with her CV and if she has something to offer, the management will assist her instead of dragging the image of the institution in a mud"
"If care is not taken, the necessary legal action will invoked against her for such unauthorized publications about our profession and the hospital at large", Fagoyinbo said
She, however, appealed to the management of FMC Abeokuta to continue providing fair, impartial and professional leadership in handling workplace disagreements.
"I urged the management to encourage the use of internal grievance procedures, thoroughly investigate allegations before reaching conclusions, discourage harassment and character assassination, and ensure that all staff members are treated equally under the institution's rules.
Fagoyinbo reaffirmed the department's commitment to professionalism, ethical nursing practice, patient-centred care and teamwork, the department called on all stakeholders to prioritise dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
"The Nursing profession cannot thrive in an atmosphere of persistent antagonism, division, public accusations and distrust. We must collectively protect the dignity of the profession and preserve the reputation of the institution in which we serve,".