ABUJA – The fragile peace in Nigeria’s public health sector is under threat as the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) raised a fresh alarm over the Federal Government’s perceived foot-dragging on critical salary reviews.
Comrade Kabiru Minjibir, National President of JOHESU, revealed over the weekend that the high-level committee inaugurated to address the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) has been largely “inactive” since October last year.
The committee, chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, was originally viewed as a breakthrough to end years of industrial friction. However, Minjibir noted that the group has failed to reconvene, leaving the fate of thousands of nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists in limbo.
The heart of the dispute lies in “salary relativity.” JOHESU has long argued that while the doctors’ salary scale (CONMESS) has seen multiple upward reviews, the CONHESS scale for other health professionals has remained stagnant for over a decade.
”The same committee mandated to handle the issue of CONHESS adjustment has yet to resume sitting,” Minjibir stated, warning that the delay is fueling “heightened tensions” among workers who feel marginalized by the current administration’s pace.
Labour analysts and health stakeholders warn that this administrative inertia could not have come at a worse time. Nigeria is currently battling a severe “brain drain,” with thousands of health professionals migrating abroad in search of better pay and working conditions.
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”If the government continues to treat these welfare issues with levity, we will only see a further collapse in service delivery,” a Lagos-based health consultant noted.
Recall that JOHESU only recently suspended an 84-day nationwide strike in February 2026, following a “No Work, No Pay” dispute and a tentative agreement to prioritize their demands in the 2026 Appropriation Act. This latest delay threatens to undo that progress, with the union hinting that its patience is wearing thin.
