The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has blamed the Federal Government for the prolonged strike by health workers, accusing the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of bias, insincerity, and a failure to engage meaningfully with the union to resolve the lingering dispute.
The union’s national chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, said "It may be tough, but we are now mentally conditioned for the battle to reshape our professional destiny.”
He said repeated attempts to resolve the dispute through dialogue yielded no result, forcing the union to sustain its ongoing industrial action.
The industrial action, which began on 15 November 2025, has paralysed public hospitals across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and several states, with most facilities operating skeletal services.
He said the strike became unavoidable as a way of reminding the government that JOHESU members are also Nigerian citizens who deserve to enjoy the benefit packages they have earned.
According to him, instead of addressing the issues raised, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has implemented policies that favour certain groups within the health sector, fuelling division and worsening dissatisfaction among non-physician health workers.
“The Federal Ministry of Health has been engaging in divisive politics by rewarding only a favoured group for labour,” Minjibir said, adding that the industrial action was aimed at drawing attention to the need for fairness, recognition and equitable compensation for all health workers.
On concerns about access to healthcare during the strike, Minjibir explained that industrial actions in the health sector are typically structured as a total withdrawal of services, although provisions are often made for emergency cases.
He noted that health workers also have families and may themselves need medical care, making some level of discretion inevitable.
He, however, cautioned that such discretion could be abused, stressing the importance of proper oversight to ensure that emergency services are not misapplied or selectively offered.
Speaking on Salary structure dispute
Mr Minjibir said the union’s demand for an adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) has remained unresolved for 12 years, despite what he described as a favourable review report completed in 2021 and cleared through due process.
“The demand for adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) has been on for 12 years, and we got a seemingly impressive favorable report that has gone through due process since 2021 but remains unimplemented,” he said.
He explained that although health workers are classified as essential service providers and are required to issue a 15-day notice before embarking on industrial action, the government failed to use that window to avert the strike.
Minjibir identified the Federal Ministry of Health as the major obstacle in negotiations, stating that the union’s engagement with the ministry has deteriorated.
According to him, discussions that should involve genuine dialogue have increasingly become one-sided, with little consideration given to JOHESU’s position.
He accused the ministry of professional protectionism, arguing that the crisis is being managed in a way that prioritises the interests of a dominant professional group within the health sector.
He called on governments at all levels to end what he described as group-dominated control of the health sector, sustained through questionable appointments across ministries, departments and agencies.
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