Healthcare services across Katsina State are at risk of disruption as the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals (AHAPN) has announced a seven-day warning strike, set to begin at midnight on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
This action follows the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued to the state government, which the union says failed to elicit a meaningful response to their demands.
The warning strike involves members of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN).
In a statement released on Tuesday, AHAPN State Chairman, Comrade Ibrahim Balange, explained that the strike was a last resort after years of unsuccessful dialogue and repeated engagements with the government. He accused the state authorities of acknowledging the legitimacy of the workers’ demands, but failing to take concrete action toward their resolution.
Balange warned that an indefinite strike would follow if the government does not address the workers’ concerns within the seven-day warning period.
The union’s demands include the immediate implementation of 100 percent CONHESS, as practiced in federal health institutions, approval of the skipping of CONHESS 10, and an upward review of the 10 percent hazard allowance to match federal standards.
Additional demands focus on 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.
The union chairman appealed to residents of Katsina State for understanding, emphasizing that all peaceful efforts to resolve the dispute had been exhausted. “We urge the public to bear with us and hold the government responsible for any inconvenience caused by this action,” Balange stated.
The planned strike, announced after a press briefing at the MHWUN State Secretariat in Katsina on August 11, is expected to impact public health facilities across the state. However, medical doctors, who are not members of the assembly, are not participating in the strike. AHAPN maintains that their demands aim to improve healthcare professionals’ welfare, boost staff morale, and enhance service delivery throughout Katsina State.
