KATSINA — Healthcare services in Katsina State face disruption as the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals has declared a seven-day warning strike over unmet demands for improved allowances and salary adjustments.
The Chairman of the Assembly, Comrade Ibrahim Balange, announced the decision on Wednesday in Katsina, saying the strike will commence at midnight on October 14, 2026.
The unions under the assembly include the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and National Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP).
Balange said the Assembly issued a seven-day strike notice to the state government on October 7, but the expiration did not yield satisfactory resolution.
According to him, the struggle began in 2024 when the state government indicated its intention to review benefits of health professionals in line with Federal Government service.
He said workers were shortchanged during minimum wage implementation, as the salary table approved for them differed from what they were paid. A committee set up to investigate made recommendations in March 2025, but government is yet to implement them.
The Office of Public Service Reform later offered 10 percent of the difference between their salaries and those of their federal counterparts, which the Assembly rejected. After intervention by stakeholders, a planned strike on September 7 was suspended.
Balange said the Assembly was later informed that the governor approved a 15 percent increment — only five percent more than the previous offer — without involving the Assembly in preparing the table.
He said the Assembly is demanding full implementation of allowances applicable in Federal service, but is willing to accept 75 percent as compromise.
“Some of our members have not even agreed to 75 per cent, but we have to look at the matter holistically,” he said.
Balange warned that failure to address the disparity could undermine Katsina’s healthcare system, which was previously regarded as one of the most attractive for health workers.
He said the Assembly will reconvene after the warning strike to decide next steps, warning that an indefinite strike could follow if demands are not met, while apologising to the public for any inconvenience.
Source: NAN / Daily Trust
