Abia Health Workers Protest Exclusion from New CONHESS Salary Structure, Demand Equal Treatment
Health workers across Abia State's 17 local government areas staged a protest at the Government House today, voicing frustration over the state's uneven implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and the latest minimum wage adjustments. Demonstrators, representing various professional groups, accused the government of favoring nurses while sidelining other essential health personnel, exacerbating long-standing inequities in the sector.
The protest, organized by unions including the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), highlighted the government's recent rollout of the updated salary framework, which has been applied exclusively to nurses in primary health centers across the local governments. Affected workers, including laboratory scientists, community health extension workers (CHEWs), environmental health officers, optometrists, and pharmacists, carried placards reading "Equal Pay for Equal Work," "No More Discrimination in Health Sector," and "Implement CONHESS for All or None," as they marched to the state secretariat.
In a joint statement read during the demonstration, union leaders, led by Abia State NLC Chairman Mr. Okoro Ogbonnaya, decried the selective payments as a "deliberate marginalization" that undermines team-based healthcare delivery. "While nurses in our 17 LGAs now enjoy the benefits of the new CONHESS and minimum wage uplift, their colleagues—lab scientists who diagnose, CHEWs who vaccinate communities, environmental officers who prevent outbreaks, and optometrists who preserve vision—are left behind," Ogbonnaya said. He warned that the disparity could lead to low morale, increased staff exodus, and compromised patient care, echoing broader national concerns over the "japa" syndrome affecting Nigeria's health workforce.
The grievances stem from the state's efforts to align with the federal government's 2024 minimum wage directive, which increased the baseline to ₦70,000. However, implementation under CONHESS—a specialized pay scale for health professionals—has been piecemeal. Earlier this year, Governor Alex Otti's administration announced incentives for nurses, including extended retirement ages to 65 and targeted compensation packages, amid ongoing consultations with labor groups. Critics argue this has inadvertently created a two-tier system, with non-nursing staff still awaiting adjustments despite repeated ultimatums.
Government officials, responding through Senior Special Assistant on Labour Relations Sir Godson Agocha, urged calm and reiterated commitments to inclusive reforms. "We acknowledge the pains of delay, but the centralization of salary payments is part of fiscal prudence, not elimination of CONHESS," Agocha stated during a zonal meeting of MHWUN last March. He assured protesters that a joint committee, involving the NLC and state officials, is actively reviewing the structure to incorporate professional allowances for all cadres, with resolutions expected within weeks.
The demonstration, which disrupted traffic around the Government House for several hours, comes amid heightened tensions in Abia's health sector, marked by past strikes over unpaid salaries and unfulfilled wage reviews. Union representatives vowed to escalate actions, including potential strikes, if demands for full CONHESS rollout across all health professionals are not met by month's end.
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