The Federal Workers Forum has thrown its weight behind the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions, warning that the country may witness a nationwide shutdown if the Federal Government fails to urgently address the welfare demands of health workers.
The forum said Nigeria is already sliding towards a healthcare emergency due to what it described as the government’s deliberate neglect of workers in the health sector. It also endorsed the 14 day ultimatum earlier issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to the Federal Ministry of Health.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the forum described the intervention of the labour centres as timely, noting that the prolonged strike has exposed what it called a dangerous disregard for human lives.
The statement was signed by the National Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum and former TUC Chairman in Oyo State, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, alongside the General Secretary, Comrade Ogundele Ayo.
According to the forum, “The lingering and deliberate failure of the Federal Government to address the legitimate welfare demands of health sector workers is not only deeply painful but also demonstrates a callous indifference to the lives of ordinary Nigerians.”
It added that the situation in public hospitals across the country has become alarming, with avoidable deaths occurring daily as a result of poor working conditions, policy inconsistencies, and what it described as official silence.
“Health workers are the backbone of any functional healthcare system. Ignoring their welfare turns hospitals from centres of healing into centres of avoidable deaths,” the forum said.
The group warned that federal workers across ministries, departments, and agencies are prepared to join the ongoing strike if the government fails to engage meaningfully with JOHESU and meet its demands.
“We strongly call for a total and sustained shutdown of activities if necessary, as a way to compel the administration to act swiftly and rescue the collapsing health sector,” the statement added.
The forum also urged the leadership of the NLC and TUC to mobilise civil society organisations to widen the scope of nationwide action, insisting that no responsible government should allow the health sector strike to linger.
“The Federal Workers Forum had earlier called for solidarity protests in support of JOHESU, and we remain ready to escalate actions if the government continues to be adamant,” it said.
The JOHESU strike, now in its third week, has disrupted services in public hospitals nationwide, with reports of patients being turned back or referred to private facilities.
While health sector unions insist that the government has failed to implement agreed welfare packages, authorities maintain that dialogue remains open, even as they caution that industrial action should not disrupt essential healthcare delivery.
