There was serious enforcement by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) in Abia State on Thursday towards ensuring that all government hospitals complied with the ongoing nationwide industrial action.
The 22nd of January, 2026, marked the 69th day of the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), one of the longest nationwide strikes in a decade.
On 8 January, the federal government directed the immediate enforcement of the ‘no work, no pay’ policy against members of the JOHESU and the Assembly of Health Care Professionals participating in the ongoing nationwide strike.
But in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, an enforcement team made up of members of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), is insisting that the strike would continue until the Federal Government meets their demands.
The union stormed the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, to monitor and enforce full compliance with the strike.
Members and leaders of JOHESU, some of whom carried canes, moved from one office to another, ordering workers to vacate their offices in line with the directive.
During the exercise, health workers displayed placards bearing inscriptions such as: “JOHESU Strike: No Justice, No Retreat,” “CONHESS Adjustment Is Sacrosanct, No Going Back,” among others.
Speaking during the monitoring exercise, the Abia State Chairman of NUAHP, Mr. Chibueze Oparaocha, said his union and MHWUN, being the two major unions under JOHESU at FMC Umuahia, resolved to ensure total compliance with the strike.
“It is statutory for us to go round periodically to ensure full compliance.
“We followed due process before embarking on this strike, and if justice is not done, we will continue the struggle,” he said.
Also speaking, the Abia State Chairman of MHWUN, Mr. Solomon Offor, said the union was at the hospital to enforce the strike, which commenced on November 15, 2025.
According to him, the strike is aimed at compelling the Federal Government to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), which has remained unresolved for over 12 years.
“We are aware that negotiations are ongoing between the national leadership of JOHESU and the Federal Ministry of Health, but strict enforcement of this strike will push the government to do the needful,” Offor said.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of MHWUN at FMC Umuahia, Mrs. Commy Okonkwo, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance recorded during the exercise.
She commended members for their cooperation and commitment to the union’s cause.
She, however, criticised some members for sabotaging the union’s efforts, noting that such actions made it necessary for the leadership to monitor and enforce compliance.
“The level of compliance is quite encouraging, and I am hopeful that the government will listen to our demands and take appropriate action,” she said.
