Manny Ita
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has directed the immediate enforcement of the “No Work, No Pay” policy against members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) as their nationwide strike enters its 58th day. In a circular dated January 8, 2026, and signed by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr. Abisola Adegoke, on behalf of the Coordinating Minister, the government ordered Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of federal tertiary hospitals to stop the salaries of all participating workers effective immediately. The directive follows the union’s persistent refusal to suspend the industrial action, which began on November 14, 2025, over the non-implementation of the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and other long-standing welfare grievances.
The enforcement marks a significant escalation in the standoff that has paralyzed services in federal facilities across the country, with many patients being discharged prematurely or forced to seek expensive alternatives in private clinics. To mitigate the impact, the ministry has instructed hospital managements to sustain essential services, including accident and emergency, labour wards, and intensive care units, by employing locum staff and ensuring that non-striking employees are protected. “You are to ensure that you provide critical services… by all legal means, including employment of locum staff,” the circular reads, adding that “all members of staff who are willing to continue with their work must be allowed to do so without hindrance or intimidation.”
JOHESU, an umbrella body representing non-physician health professionals such as nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists, has remained adamant despite the threat of salary stoppage. The union’s National Chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, previously stated that the strike was a last resort after the government failed to honor a Memorandum of Understanding reached in 2009 and revised in recent negotiations. While the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, recently claimed that the government has addressed a “substantial number” of the workers’ demands—including an ₦90 billion increase in annual allowances—the union maintains that the core issue of pay parity and the implementation of the new salary structure remains neglected.
The healthcare crisis is expected to deepen tomorrow, Monday, January 12, as the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) is scheduled to join the industrial action with a “total, indefinite, and comprehensive strike.” Despite a late-stage appeal from the Committee of Chief Medical Directors for “constructive dialogue,” the simultaneous withdrawal of services by both JOHESU and NARD threatens a total collapse of the public health sector. As hospital heads begin the strict enforcement of the “No Work, No Pay” rule this week, civil society groups have warned that the standoff will likely result in a further loss of lives and a widening trust gap between health workers and the Federal Government.
