By Ayomide Otitoju
Healthcare services across Katsina State may be disrupted as the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals of Nigeria (AHAPN) has declared a seven-day warning strike following the expiration of its 21-day ultimatum to the state government.
The strike, involving members of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), is scheduled to begin at midnight on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, AHAPN State Chairman, Comrade Ibrahim Balange, said the action was necessary because the government had allegedly failed to demonstrate sufficient commitment to addressing the workers’ welfare and professional demands.
Balange warned that the assembly would commence an indefinite strike if the government failed to take concrete steps to resolve the issues before the end of the seven-day warning action.
He said the decision followed years of dialogue and repeated engagements with the government, which he claimed had acknowledged the workers’ demands but failed to implement them.
The union appealed to residents to bear with healthcare workers over any inconvenience caused by the strike, saying all peaceful avenues for resolving the dispute had been exhausted.
“We call on the general public to understand our situation and hold the government responsible for any inconveniences this action may cause. We have exhausted all amicable options without success,” the statement said.
AHAPN issued the 21-day ultimatum on August 11, 2026, during a press briefing at the MHWUN State Secretariat in Katsina.
The workers are demanding the immediate implementation of 100 per cent Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), as applicable in federal health institutions, as well as the implementation of CONHESS 10 skipping.
They are also seeking an increase in the 10 per cent hazard allowance to align it with federal standards.
Other demands include improved call-duty, shift-duty, clinical, non-clinical, rural and specialist allowances, as well as an increase in the uniform allowance for nurses to ₦80,000.
AHAPN said the demands were aimed at improving healthcare workers’ welfare, boosting morale and strengthening service delivery across the state.
If the warning strike proceeds, public healthcare services across Katsina State are expected to be affected. Medical doctors, who are not members of AHAPN, are excluded from the action.
