Nigeria’s health sector faces a major disruption as workers across the country have commenced an indefinite nationwide strike from today.

The action, declared by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPJA), follows the Federal Government’s failure to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and address longstanding welfare concerns.

The strike threatens to paralyze services in federal teaching hospitals and state facilities, compounding the impact of an ongoing walkout by resident doctors. In a statement signed by JOHESU National Chairman Kabiru Minjibri, the unions said they had exhausted all patience after suspending previous strikes in June 2023 and October 2024 based on presidential agreements that were never implemented. “Our flagship demand for salary parity and welfare improvements has been ignored,” Minjibri declared, pointing to the stalled CONHESS report since 2022.

JOHESU, which includes the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSUTHRIAAI), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), warned against intimidation or victimization of striking members and urged strict compliance nationwide.

The unions stressed that while they remain committed to healthcare delivery, unresolved issues have forced their withdrawal. They criticized government delays, including the failure to reconstitute the Presidential Salaries Committee, as excuses that left them with no alternative.

The strike, coinciding with the doctors’ action, raises fears of a near-total shutdown of Nigeria’s public health system if dialogue is not urgently initiated.