The Federal Ministry of Health has formally appealed to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to remove the suspension placed on the January 2026 salaries of nurses employed in federal tertiary health institutions.
The appeal followed reports that the salaries were withheld after officials erroneously assumed that the nurses participated in an industrial action called by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
According to the ministry, nurses were not involved in the strike and should not have been subjected to the Federal Government’s “No Work, No Pay” policy.
The ministry noted that the salary stoppage has imposed significant financial strain on the affected nurses and their families, despite the fact that they continued to carry out their professional responsibilities.
It further clarified that the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) exited JOHESU in 2023 and has not been part of any of the union’s recent strike actions.
In light of these developments, the ministry urged the Accountant General to ensure the prompt payment of the outstanding salaries in order to avert possible unrest within the health sector.
The memo read: “I am directed to refer to the above subject and inform that following the industrial action embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Health Care Professionals which commenced on November 14, 2025, the ministry with a letter dated 9th January 2026 requested the stoppage of salaries of members of JOHESU as a consequence of enforcing the Federal Government’s policy of ‘No Work No Pay,’ with effect from January 2026.
“The ministry wishes to respectfully draw your attention to the fact that the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives have now brought to the attention of the ministry that nurses under the Federal Tertiary Health Institutions were not paid their January 2026 salaries as they were inadvertently affected by the Federal Government’s directive on ‘No Work, No Pay.’
“I am to inform you that nurses in FTHIs did not participate in the JOHESU strike as NANNM formally withdrew its membership of JOHESU with effect from 2023.
“I am to further inform you that the non-payment of January 2026 salaries to nurses has resulted in undue economic hardship to them and their families despite the continued discharge of their professional duties.
“In view of the foregoing, the ministry requests that the Accountant General of the Federation kindly issue the necessary directive to the IPPIS office for the immediate payment of the January 2026 salaries of nurses in federal tertiary health institutions to forestall industrial disharmony.”
