Citing continuing disagreements about authority, professional recognition, and compensation within Nigeria's public health system, health workers in Lagos State urged the government on Tuesday to start negotiations to end a strike that is approaching its third month.

Since going on strike on December 2, 2025, the Joint Health Sector Unions have caused service disruptions in public hospitals throughout the commercial core of the country.


Union officials underline underlying concerns of fairness and morale in a workforce already overburdened by personnel shortages and rising patient demand by describing the walkout as the result of long-standing grievances and failed negotiations with state authorities.

At a news conference in Lagos, Adelaja Tajudeen, the chairman of the Lagos State chapter of JOHESU, said, "The ongoing strike is anchored on legitimate demands aimed at strengthening the healthcare system and ensuring fairness for all professionals within it."

The Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes, and Associated Institutions, the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, and the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria are the three main unions in Lagos State that have joined forces to form JOHESU.

The union is demanding that consultant chemists be fully recognised and paid fairly, that medical laboratory departments be given autonomy, that staff buses be provided to facilitate commuting, that new call and shift duty allowances be implemented immediately, and that retention allowances be extended to all critical cadres.

Tajudeen warned that selectively paying retention allowances is discriminatory and is undermining morale, especially as many healthcare workers are leaving the public system.

“While the Federal Government has demonstrated responsiveness by agreeing to pay the January 2026 salaries earlier withheld from workers, including nurses, and has publicly assured that no victimisation will be meted out to striking workers, the Lagos State government has yet to demonstrate a similar commitment to implementing the local demands,” he said.

The union also expressed concerns about professional equity, noting that although Lagos State had previously signaled readiness to implement certain reforms, progress has reportedly been blocked by entrenched interests within parts of the medical establishment.

JOHESU stressed that equity, respect for one another, and appropriate professional recognition are essential for a successful health sector and that the healthcare system cannot function properly when certain professions are treated as second-class citizens.

Additionally, Kaabiwu Gbolahan, the Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, made a plea to the public and the government, emphasising that the strike was not taken lightly and acknowledging the difficulties that residents and patients encounter as a result of service interruptions.

He urged the state administration to show sincere commitment by taking tangible, deadline-driven actions, refraining from threatening or punishing striking employees, making sure all medical professionals are treated fairly, and swiftly putting previously decided-upon resolutions into effect.