Health workers across Kaduna State on Wednesday expressed relief and excitement after Governor Uba Sani approved the implementation of the 2024 Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and hazard allowance, effective September 2025.
The announcement, widely welcomed by the medical community, was confirmed during a press briefing by the Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Kaduna State chapter, Ishaku Yakubu.
Yakubu hailed the decision as “long overdue” and a landmark victory for the state’s health workforce, who, he noted, had endured years of neglect and unmet promises under previous administrations.
“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 embark on warning strikes and even indefinite strike actions to press home our demands with the past government,” Yakubu said.
He explained that the approval signals a new era of improved welfare for nurses, midwives, and other health professionals in Kaduna, adding that it will boost morale and improve service delivery across public hospitals and clinics.
The union leader also thanked Governor Sani for demonstrating “political will” in addressing long-standing grievances in the health sector, while urging the state to ensure prompt and sustained implementation of the allowances.
For years, Kaduna’s health workers staged industrial actions over poor welfare, unpaid entitlements, and inadequate hazard allowances. During the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline staff repeatedly protested what they described as “abandonment,” despite the high risks they faced.
Strained labour relations under the previous administration had further deepened mistrust, with mass sackings of striking workers worsening the crisis in the state’s health sector.
Stakeholders now see the governor’s approval as a decisive policy shift that could restore confidence, reduce brain drain, and strengthen healthcare delivery across the state.
By implementing CONHESS and hazard allowances, the Sani administration is being credited with taking a significant step towards repairing relations with health professionals and laying the foundation for a more resilient health system in Kaduna.
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