Nigeria’s health system faces a deeper breakdown as the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations begin an indefinite nationwide strike on Saturday, November 15, 2025.
The unions say the Federal Government’s failure to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and resolve years of welfare complaints pushed them to shut down services across the country.
The decision, announced by JOHESU National Chairman Kabiru Ado Minjibir, comes when the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) is already on an indefinite strike. With doctors and other health professionals walking out simultaneously, federal teaching hospitals, specialist centres, and many state-owned hospitals are expected to operate far below capacity.
Longstanding Salary Structure Disputes
JOHESU stressed that the delay in implementing the adjusted CONHESS remained the “principal trigger” for the walkout after years of negotiations. The unions said the government has ignored critical recommendations from the High-Level Body Committee report submitted to the Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages since 2022.
In their statement, the unions said, “Nothing has been done by successive administrations to redress this infraction,” noting that even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assurances during a JOHESU delegation visit in June 2023 produced no change. They added that officials blamed earlier delays on the absence of a reconstituted Presidential Committee on Salaries.
Delayed Government Response
Even after the committee was finally reconstituted, JOHESU argued that the issue did not receive priority attention until the past 48 hours. The unions described the prolonged delay as “one of the longest and most protracted demands in Nigeria’s labour history,” saying recent government steps were too little, too late.
Following a unanimous resolution at JOHESU’s Expanded National Executive Council meeting on November 14, members across all affiliate unions in the Federal Health Service will stop work indefinitely. The unions say the strike will continue until the adjusted CONHESS is fully implemented.
States May Issue Warning Notices
JOHESU noted that all 36 states and the FCT may issue their governments a 15-day notice as required under labour laws, potentially widening the strike beyond federal institutions. The unions warned that the shutdown could expand if authorities fail to act swiftly.
The unions recalled that they suspended strikes in June 2023 and October 2024 after presidential intervention and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. However, they said the government failed to uphold agreed resolutions, deepening mistrust and frustration among health workers.
JOHESU argued that it has shown restraint and patience for years, but government inaction forced the latest decision. The group added, “There is no doubt that we have exhibited maturity, selflessness, and patriotism… and we think that our maturity and patriotism have been taken for granted.”
Warning Against Victimisation
The unions directed members nationwide to comply strictly with the strike order and cautioned the government against intimidation or sanctions. They said, “JOHESU will not accept victimisation of its members… on account of this strike action, which is a dispute of right,” adding that all communication channels will remain open during the industrial action.
The simultaneous strikes by doctors and other health professionals heighten concerns about service delivery in a sector already battling shortages and overcrowding. As pressure mounts, the government faces urgent demands to break the cycle of stalled negotiations and unfulfilled commitments before the crisis worsens further.
