CFSF Backs JOHESU Strike, Accuses FG of Failing Nigeria’s Healthcare System

The Citizens Free Services Forum (CFSF) has declared its support for the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), accusing the federal government of neglect and policy failure that it says has crippled Nigeria’s healthcare system.

The group said the indefinite strike, which began on 14 November 2025, was triggered by the government’s failure to implement agreements reached with health unions, particularly the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).

In a statement issued on 27 January 2026, CFSF warned that the dispute is worsening access to healthcare for millions of Nigerians, especially low-income earners.

Why the JOHESU strike matters

According to CFSF, the failure to implement CONHESS has pushed many patients out of public hospitals, forcing them to seek expensive private care or abandon treatment entirely.

“The repercussions of the government’s intransigence on our healthcare delivery system are humongous,” the group said, adding that many Nigerians are being forced to “either mortgage their livelihood to get medical care in private hospitals or just pine away and die at home.”

It described the situation as “totally reprehensible, condemnable and completely unacceptable.”

Pay disparity fuels tension in the health sector

CFSF also criticised what it described as preferential treatment of medical doctors over other health professionals.

The group noted that while doctors are paid under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), other health workers are still waiting for CONHESS to be fully implemented.

“The preferential treatment accorded to medical doctors, while disregarding the genuine demands of their colleagues in the health sector, undermines the spirit of teamwork, a hallmark of the medical profession,” the statement said.

It added that doctors alone cannot keep the healthcare system running without nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and other professionals.

Government accused of neglect

CFSF said repeated strikes in the health and education sectors point to a deeper governance failure.

“The incessant strike actions in our healthcare and education sectors demonstrate the government’s scant commitment to social and public services,” the group said.

“For a developing country like Nigeria, such indifference is tantamount to criminal negligence in fulfilling the duty of care to citizens.”

The group went further, saying:

“The Government should be held responsible for every life that is lost as a result of the current strike action by health workers.”

‘Enough is Enough’ – CFSF demands action

CFSF called on the government to immediately announce the implementation of CONHESS, warning against punitive measures.

“The threat of ‘no work, no pay’ only adds insult to the injury,” the statement said.

“Nigerian health workers should not be intimidated. The Government is the villain here for failing repeatedly to honour agreements it freely entered into with Nigerian healthcare workers. Enough is Enough!”

Calls for higher health and education budgets

Beyond salaries, the group demanded increased funding for public services.

“It is very ungodly and scandalous that public officials now take up adverts in the pages of newspapers to celebrate the graduation of their children in foreign universities or obtain medical treatment in hospitals abroad,” the statement said.

It argued that while political leaders access services overseas, ordinary Nigerians are left to suffer under what it described as a “comatose healthcare cum education system.”

What the government has said

The federal government has previously argued that wage reforms must align with budgetary realities, though no official response has yet been issued on CFSF’s latest statement.

Negotiations with JOHESU have stalled several times over the past decade, leading to recurring industrial actions.

What’s next

Hospitals across the country remain partially or fully shut, with emergency services stretched thin.

Unless an agreement is reached, patient advocates warn the strike could further deepen Nigeria’s healthcare crisis.