The Cross River State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the welfare and working conditions of nurses, with plans to expand recruitment, increase the retirement age, and equip health workers with the tools needed to deliver quality care during the Nurses week 2026 celebration
The pledge was made during the state’s commemoration of International Nurses Week, held alongside nurses worldwide to honor the profession and the legacy of Florence Nightingale.
Representing Governor Bassey Otu, at the nurses week 2026 celebration, the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Elder Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, announced that the government is finalizing measures to make the work environment more attractive for nurses.
“We are working to increase the retirement age for nurses, expand employment beyond the recent recruitment, and create conditions that encourage nurses to stay and serve here at home,” Dr. Ayuk said. He noted that the state had already implemented 100% pay for doctors to curb the exodus of medical staff and would continue improving conditions for all health workers.
Speaking at the event, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Nursing, Dr. Esu Coco-Bassey, linked the celebration to the 206th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
Dr. Coco-Bassey said Nightingale’s legacy of service, sacrifice, and science remains the standard for nursing today. He stressed that nurses are the backbone of the health system, present from delivery rooms to community clinics, and assured that the government would sustain investment in training, staffing, equipment, and welfare.
He urged nurses to embody Nightingale’s model of service above self, excellence through learning, and courage to improve. He also called on the public to view nurses as daily partners in health, not just during crises, and appealed for respect for the profession and support for nursing students.
“The lamp Nightingale carried at night still burns in each of us when we choose to stay, to care, and to do what is right even when it is hard,” he said.
Other stakeholders who spoke included the Head of Service, Barr. Orok Okon, represented by Barr. Lucy Enakirerini, a nurse and Permanent Secretary in the Head of Service office; Medical Superintendent of General Hospital Calabar, Dr. Kenneth Takim; Provost of the College of Nursing Science Calabar, Dr. Joy Obetem; Rector of the College of Health Sciences, Technology and Resource, Dr. Ikpeme Ita; Director of Nursing Services at UCTH, Mrs. Courtesy Uduku; and Head of Nursing Services, General Hospital Calabar, Mrs. Mbang Fabian.
Also present were ward managers of General Hospital Calabar and the Student Union Government President of the College of Nursing Calabar, Comr. Anand Kumar, among others.
The celebration concluded with the cutting of a birthday cake to mark Florence Nightingale’s 206th birthday.
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