Bukola Afeni
The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has called on well-meaning Nigerians to appeal to the Federal Government to urgently address its demand.
The group highlighted that the development would pave the way for the suspension of its ongoing strike.
The National Secretary of JOHESU, Martin Egbanubi, made the appeal on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
Recall that JOHESU in November 2025 had declared an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers, describing it as its sole demand.
Egbanubi said the union was deeply concerned about the impact of the strike on Nigerians but insisted that responsibility lies with the government.
“We know the impact of the strike on Nigerian citizens, but Nigerian citizens should not hold us responsible. The government should be responsible because the government must do the needful so we can avert such a strike in the future,” he said.
He added that the union empathize with Nigerians who rely on public health institutions, noting that JOHESU members are also affected by the disruption.
“It’s quite unfortunate. We truly empathise with the masses of this country, the consumers of health services, especially those who cannot afford private healthcare. Our members are part of these masses. We have even recorded casualties among our members; just last week, we lost one of our members at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital,” Egbanubi stated.
According to him, the union derives no satisfaction from the strike, stressing that it comes with logistical and operational challenges.
“We are not deriving any pleasure in continuing with the strike. It is also not convenient for us because of the difficulties associated with its implementation. That is why we are asking well-meaning Nigerians to appeal to the Federal Government to address this one-point demand so that we can suspend the strike,” he said.
Egbanubi recalled that the union had issued several warnings and held multiple engagements with the government before resuming the strike earlier suspended in 2023 following presidential intervention.
“When the President intervened on June 5, 2023, he asked us to suspend the strike and assured us that the relevant MDAs would address our issues. We have since written to Mr President to remind him of that engagement,” he added.
