Nigeria’s health workers warn of nationwide meltdown if FG fails to meet August deadline

•Health workers protest

Unless the federal govern­ment honours critical prom­ises to the Joint Health Sec­tor Unions (JOHESU) by the end of August, the health sector faces meltdown, with the union drawing a hard line and threatening to strike. The union is demanding the immediate ful­filment of longstanding agreements — especially the payment of salary ar­rears and overdue adjustments, reports Daily Independent.

In a communiqué issued after meet­ings held between July 30 and August 1, 2025, Comrade Kabiru Minjibir, JOHE­SU’s National Chairman and Comrade Martin Egbanubi, National Secretary declared that hope was fast running out. Their message was clear: if the government reneges on its promises again, the union will align with the Ni­geria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to declare a formal trade dispute. JOHESU lamented sev­en months of unpaid salary arrears under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), following the 25 percent and 35 percent salary reviews conducted between June and Decem­ber 2023, which have left health work­ers battling hardship while performing life-saving duties.

Across the nation, thousands of health workers are on red alert, bracing for a nationwide strike that may leave patients stranded, hospitals paralysed and Nigeria’s health sector plunged into chaos without government inter­vention.

This is not just a fight about num­bers—it’s a fight for dignity, according to JOHESU.

According to the communique, JO­HESU agreed, in good faith, to give the government until August 2025 to settle the debt. These frontline workers have given everything—sacrificing comfort, risking their lives—only to be reward­ed with silence and delay, JOHESU lamented.

The union also voiced outrage at the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), accusing it of meddling in matters that concern JOHESU-affiliated unions. JO­HESU condemned repeated violations of Section 25 of the Trade Unions Act, citing attempts by the NMA to influence what other health professionals should earn. Such interference undermines the spirit of collective bargaining and sows division among those who should stand united in service of public health.

Tensions worsened with the govern­ment’s abrupt suspension of circulars on CONHESS allowances—allegedly at the behest of the NMA. JOHESU insists that all wage review decisions be grounded in the binding 2009 Mem­orandum of Understanding, which en­sures equity across professional cadres. The union also called for a re-evaluation of relativity ratios to reflect the evolving responsibilities and qualifications of its members – who often carry the weight of the system with little recognition.

The communiqué partly reads, “Leadership expressed deep concern over the prolonged delay in the pay­ment of the Seven months arrears of 25 percent/35 percent of CONHESS Review (June –December 2023). Both the Minister of Health and Minister of Labour explained various steps taken so far and assured of payment in the month of August 2025.

“JOHESU accepted the timeline of the Federal Government to the pay­ment of these arrears in August 2025 with the caveat; not to entertain further delay of this payment which has been heating up the industrial relations at­mosphere in the health sector for some time now.

“Leadership frowned at the obvious overindulgence of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) which traditionally and in unrepentant terms has always violated Section 25 of the Trade Unions Act, CAP T14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which limits the bor­ders of negotiations on behalf of trade unions to only its membership. Lead­ership asserted that it was uncharita­ble for the Government to continue to entertain a propensity where NMA negotiated for its members and also crossed the borders into the frontiers of members of affiliate Unions of JO­HESU to dictate what these Unions are entitled to.

Leadership criticised albeit very seriously the suspension of the recent­ly issued Circulars on Allowances for health workers on CONHESS without a recourse to JOHESU whose members are the major beneficiaries particularly because it was on the prompting of the NMA.

“Leadership decried the deference of the federal government to NMA on unlawful grounds because NMA had nothing to do with CONHESS and log­ically should not have been allowed to tinker with it for pecuniary gains and interest.

“Leadership after repeated assur­ances of fairness and justice to all concerned called on the appropriate arms of the Government to hinge all the circulars from the NSIWC on the 2009 MoU between the Federal Govern­ment and JOHESU which takes care of relativity in coming up with new rates.

“Leadership stressed the need for reviews of the relativity ratio in rec­ognition of the evolving clinical roles, advanced academic qualification and modern skills set of health profession­als in the JOHESU family as the need arises.

“JOHESU put on record that the 2009 MoU signed with the Federal Gov­ernment provided for alignment in the benefit packages of the CONHESS and CONMESS. JOHESU therefore put the federal government on notice that all allowances including those for scarce skills and excess workload must be implemented for its members on the basis of the binding 2009 Collective Bar­gaining Agreement (CBA) and Mem­orandum of Understanding (MoU) with the federal government. “Parties resolved to meet at a tripartite concili­ation meeting on Thursday, August 7, 2025 to discuss the suspended circular on allowances,” it added.

JOHESU expressed deep concern over the plight of Consultant Phar­macists. Despite official approvals and supporting circulars since 2011, implementation has been painfully slow. Only 28.76 percent compliance has been recorded across federal insti­tutions – even though the deadline of March 31, 2025 has come and gone. These delays rob highly qualified profession­als of deserved career progression, and ultimately weaken the health system as a whole.

The communiqué also reads, “Leadership decried the wretched im­plementation of approval entry point, call duty and other allowances for hold­ers of Pharm. D. and O.D. Leadership applauded the resolve of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH&SW) to issue circulars to all FHIs to carefully delineate the entry point for B. Pharm and Pharm. D. and Doctor of Optometry holders. Leader­ship also expressed its satisfaction to Integrated Personnel and Payroll Infor­mation System (IPPIS) for creating the elements for the payment of call-duty and specialist allowances to Consultant Pharmacists,” it added.

The union also expressed deep disappointment over the Ministry of Health’s sabotage of the October 2024 agreement to raise the retirement age to 65 for health workers and 70 for con­sultants. JOHESU demanded imme­diate circulars to implement this vital policy, so that seasoned professionals are not prematurely pushed out of ser­vice while the system struggles with a shortage of skilled labour.

Perhaps the most critical among their grievances lie with Environmen­tal Health Regulatory Council staff, who have endured 19 months without pay. The union said that some mem­bers have not received a single Naira since January 2014. The union insisted that they be restored to the budget and compensated fully—calling this neglect an outrageous injustice that cannot be allowed to continue.

Meanwhile, JOHESU condemned the Ministry of Health for dragging its feet on reconstituting boards of Feder­al Health Institutions and regulatory councils, noting that no legislative amendments can justify such reckless delay. These boards are critical to main­taining standards, accountability, and service delivery across Nigeria’s fragile health landscape.

“The union’s leadership condemned the Federal Ministry of Health and So­cial Welfare’s (FMoH&SW) inclination to exploit proposed amendments to the enabling statutes of Ministries, Depart­ments and Agencies (MDAs) in the health sector as a pretext to jeopardise the reconstitution of the Boards of Management (BoMs) of Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) and of the Health Professional Regulatory Councils.

“JOHESU affirmed that, these Institutions established by Acts of Parliament are still existing by extant Nigerian Laws, hence, delay in the re­constitution of their Boards of Manage­ment due to proposed amendments in their establishment acts does not apply.

“Leadership encourages the Honor­able Minister of Labour and Employ­ment to impress on the Coordinating Minister of Health to Constitute and inaugurate the plethora of Boards of these Health Institutions and Agen­cies since it is one of the unanimous demands of Unions and Associations in the Health Sector.”