There was a sigh of relief among health workers in Kaduna State on Wednesday as Governor Uba Sani approved the implementation of the 2024 Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and hazard allowance, effective September 2025.
The development was announced at a press briefing chaired by the Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Kaduna State chapter, Comrade Ishaku Yakubu, who said the decision has ended years of frustration for health workers.
“This is quite commendable and timely because it is something we have been struggling to get for about three to four years. At some points, we had to go on warning strikes and even indefinite strike with the previous administration,” Yakubu stated.
He noted that Kaduna health workers had long been the least paid in the country, a situation that triggered a mass exodus of professionals to neighboring states, federal institutions, or the private sector.
“With this approval, His Excellency has heard our cry and graciously approved the implementation of the 2024 CONHESS and hazard allowance with immediate effect. This has brought relief to us and restored hope in Kaduna’s health system,” he added.
Yakubu thanked the governor and his cabinet, including the Head of Service, Commissioner for Health, Special Adviser on Labour, and the NLC Chairman, for supporting the health workers’ cause. He also praised union members for their resilience and patience throughout the struggle.
The NANNM chairman assured that the governor’s intervention would be met with renewed commitment.
“We want to assure the governor that this gesture will result in more efficiency and productivity from health workers in Kaduna State. We promise to support him in whatever he is doing to succeed,” he pledged.
Part of the approval, Yakubu explained, also covers the replacement of personnel who have left the service. “In our committee, we recommended that when one health worker leaves, two should be employed to replace them. The governor has approved this, and we expect immediate implementation so that those left behind are not overburdened,” he said.
He further appealed to Governor Sani to sustain the ongoing renovation of secondary health facilities across the state and ensure they are not only renovated but also properly equipped.
However, Yakubu stressed that the union would continue to hold the government accountable. “We look forward to the full implementation of this approval. If by the end of September it is not done, we will invite you, the press, again to say it has not been implemented,” he cautioned.