- Health strike deepens as JOHESU begins indefinite shutdown over delayed CONHESS adjustment.
- Unions say government has ignored welfare issues and salary disparities for years.
- The strike coincides with NARD’s ongoing industrial action, worsening health sector tension.
- Nationwide health services expected to collapse as JOHESU unions withdraw fully.
The industrial atmosphere in Nigeria’s health sector deteriorated sharply on Friday after the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations declared an indefinite nationwide strike starting November 15, 2025.
The announcement, signed by JOHESU’s National Chairman, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, was circulated to journalists late Friday evening. According to the unions, the Federal Government has repeatedly failed to honour commitments on the adjusted CONHESS structure, a major demand pending since 2022.
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Union leaders said their patience had been stretched thin by what they described as years of neglect, delayed salary reforms, and unresolved welfare concerns affecting thousands of health workers. They noted that several administrations had promised to correct the long-standing salary imbalance between health professionals but never made good on those assurances.
Their decision comes at a sensitive time, with the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) already on an indefinite strike over unpaid hazard allowances, poor working conditions, and abandoned welfare agreements. The overlapping actions are now expected to cripple operations in federal teaching hospitals, specialist centres, and many state-owned facilities.
JOHESU, which represents vital sectors such as allied health professionals, medical laboratory workers, non-academic hospital staff, and other critical units, warned that services would remain shut until the government demonstrates genuine commitment to resolving the crisis.
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In a strongly worded statement, the unions highlighted the failure to implement the High-Level Body report submitted to the Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages in 2022. They argued that this delay has widened the salary gap and deepened frustration among health workers who feel sidelined in policy considerations.
They stressed that the strike was not just about CONHESS, but about the government’s attitude toward the welfare, career progression, and fair treatment of health workers across the country. For many, this latest action reflects a breaking point after years of unfulfilled promises.
