The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has urged Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible for the hardship faced by patients and other citizens following the ongoing strike by health workers across public hospitals in the country.
The union said the industrial action would not have occurred if the government had honoured its commitment to implement the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), which remains JOHESU’s sole demand.
Speaking on Monday, the National Secretary of JOHESU, Martin Egbanubi, said the union was fully aware of the negative impact of the strike on Nigerians but insisted that responsibility rested squarely with the government.
“We know the impact of the strike on Nigerian citizens, but Nigerian citizens should not hold us responsible,” Egbanubi said.
“The government should be responsible because the government must do the needful so we can avert such a strike in the future.”
He explained that JOHESU had exhausted all dialogue options before embarking on the strike, stressing that the union had repeatedly engaged the government over the years without success.
Egbanubi acknowledged that the strike had caused severe hardship for patients who depend on public health facilities, particularly those who cannot afford private medical care, but noted that health workers themselves were also suffering.
“It’s quite unfortunate. We’ve said severally in different media engagements that we truly empathise with the masses of this country — the consumers of health services, those who cannot afford health care outside public health institutions,” he said.
“We sympathise, and of course, we are also part of these masses. Our members are part of the masses.”
He disclosed that the strike had already claimed lives among health workers.
“We have had casualties among our members. As of last week, we lost one of our members at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital,” Egbanubi revealed.
The JOHESU secretary said the union was not enjoying the strike and was eager to suspend the action once the government addressed its demand.
“We are not deriving any pleasure in continuing with the strike. It is also not convenient for us because of a lot of difficulties associated with the implementation of a strike — logistics and all that,” he said.
He appealed to Nigerians and civil society groups to pressure the Federal Government to resolve the issue quickly.
“What we are saying in essence is that let the masses appeal on our behalf to the Federal Government to please address this one-point demand of the health workers, and then we are good to go to suspend the strike,” he added.
Egbanubi further lamented that despite multiple engagements with the government, including a direct intervention by President Bola Tinubu in 2023, the union’s demands had remained unaddressed.
According to him, JOHESU suspended an earlier strike in June 2023 after the president assured the union that he would mandate the relevant ministry, department or agency to resolve the issue.
“We sounded a series of warnings. We had a series of engagements before we resumed the strike that was suspended in 2023, when the President intervened on June 5, 2023, that we should suspend the strike, and he would mandate the relevant MDA to address our issue,” he said.
“We have also written a letter to Mr President to remind him of the engagement on June 5, 2023,” Egbanubi added.
Indefinite Strike
JOHESU had in November 2025 announced an indefinite strike after accusing the Federal Government of failing to implement the adjusted CONHESS agreement.
The union said the strike would continue until the government fulfilled its obligation to health workers.
Speaking earlier at a press conference in Abuja, the National Chairman of the Medical and Health Workers Union, Kabiru Minjibri, warned that the industrial action would disrupt medical services and academic activities in public health institutions nationwide.
According to him, the government had made no concrete effort to reach a resolution with the unions despite several ultimatums and negotiations.
TUC Backs Health Workers
The strike has also received the backing of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which last week condemned the Federal Government’s attempt to enforce a “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking health workers.
The TUC rejected a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare directing the stoppage of salaries of JOHESU members through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), effective January 2026.
In a statement jointly signed by its President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, N. A. Toro, the congress described the directive as unacceptable and a violation of established industrial relations principles.
The TUC accused the ministry of attempting to intimidate health workers and acting unilaterally while negotiations were still ongoing.
It also faulted the government for ignoring the harsh economic realities facing Nigerian workers and warned that such actions could further deepen unrest in the health sector.
