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The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has warned of a possible fresh nationwide strike over the Federal Government’s failure to implement the agreed adjustment to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and other outstanding agreements with health workers.
The warning was issued by the President of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Comrade (Dr.) Kabiru Ado Sani, on Wednesday at the 52nd National Executive Council meeting of the union in Abuja.
Sani accused the Federal Government of frustrating the implementation of the Terms of Settlement (ToS) reached with JOHESU, which led to the suspension of the union’s 84-day nationwide strike on February 5, 2026.
He said the government had failed to honour its commitment to implement the CONHESS adjustment in April 2026, as agreed with the unions.
According to him, the continued delay has heightened frustration among health workers who made significant sacrifices during the prolonged industrial action.
“Regrettably, the Federal Government seems not to have learnt any lesson from the last strike action as it has continued to drag and delay the matter against the spirit of the Terms of Settlement.
“The April 2026 date that was promised for implementation has passed without the CONHESS adjustment,” he said.
Sani said JOHESU was also demanding payment of outstanding arrears owed to its members, including workers in non-hospital-based health institutions and agencies, as well as the inauguration of governing boards of federal health institutions.
He warned that the government’s failure to honour agreements with organised labour could threaten industrial peace and further worsen the challenges facing Nigeria’s already overstretched healthcare system.
“Government should understand that nothing is more expensive than a signed agreement that is not honoured, as it costs the State its credibility and it costs the patient quality care,” he said.
The MHWUN president said JOHESU had exercised considerable restraint and remained committed to dialogue despite the delays, but warned that the union’s peaceful approach should not be interpreted as weakness.
“JOHESU has shown greater understanding, but it seems that our peaceful disposition is being taken for granted,” he added.
He stressed that the 84-day strike suspended on February 5 had not been called off or abandoned, saying the responsibility for averting another industrial action now rested with the relevant government officials.
“While we remain open and continue to engage government, it is important to note that the last strike was suspended, not called off or abandoned.
“The responsibility rests on the shoulders of the Honourable Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and the Honourable Minister of Labour to prevent another round of industrial action that is imminent in the health sector, as the patience of our members has been stretched beyond limit,” he said.
Sani, however, disclosed that JOHESU was awaiting further directives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), which had reportedly indicated their willingness to take over the demands.
Beyond the CONHESS dispute, he raised concerns over inadequate healthcare funding, poor welfare of health professionals and the continued migration of skilled medical personnel from the country.
He cited figures attributed to the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association and the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, saying that although more than 130,000 doctors were registered with the Medical and Dental Council, only about 55,000 were practising in Nigeria.
He also claimed that more than 57,000 Nigerian nurses had left the country within five years, attributing the trend to poor welfare, chronic underfunding and unsafe working conditions.
According to him, the migration of health professionals should not be viewed as a betrayal of the country but as a response to a system that has failed to provide adequate working conditions and incentives.
Sani called on the Federal Government to prioritise healthcare financing and workers’ welfare, stressing that sustainable national development could not be achieved without a functional health system.
He also criticised the allocation of ₦2.48 trillion to the health sector in the 2026 national budget, describing it as less than five per cent of the total budget and below Nigeria’s 15 per cent commitment under the Abuja Declaration.
On the economy, the MHWUN president backed the NLC’s call for renegotiation of the national minimum wage, arguing that the decline in headline inflation had yet to translate into meaningful improvement in workers’ living conditions.
He said rising costs of food, transportation, housing and energy continued to erode workers’ purchasing power, and called for stronger palliatives to cushion the impact of the economic hardship.
Sani said JOHESU would continue engaging the government through dialogue but would not abandon its responsibility to defend the welfare, dignity and rights of healthcare workers.
