Health
Edo health workers defy Okpebholo's pleas, vows to sustain warning strike
Written By: Alaba Lambert
20 Oct 2025 05:15 AM
Benin, Edo – As the clock strikes midnight into a new workweek, health facilities across Edo State remain eerily quiet, with medical and health workers steadfastly upholding their seven-day warning strike despite sharp rebukes from the state government.
The industrial action, which kicked off at midnight on Friday, October 17, has paralyzed public hospitals and clinics, leaving patients scrambling for alternatives and amplifying fears of a deepening healthcare crisis.
The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Edo State Council, led by Chairman Comrade Osagie Ogbeide and Secretary Barivure Kpakol, issued the strike directive last week following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum to Governor Monday Okpebholo's administration.
Union members are demanding urgent action on long-standing welfare issues, including the renovation of dilapidated doctors' quarters, payment of outstanding allowances, implementation of salary adjustments under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), and resolution of inherited arrears from the previous administration under Godwin Obaseki.
In a defiant statement circulated on Sunday, October 19, the union's Public Relations Officer, Comrade Iduwe Endurance, underscored the workers' resolve: "Total compliance is required, and anything short won't be tolerated."
The standoff has drawn fierce condemnation from Governor Okpebholo, who on Saturday labeled the strike "ill-timed, unpatriotic, and wholly unjustified."
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor accused union leaders of pursuing "ulterior motives and extra financial demands" at the expense of vulnerable citizens.
He highlighted ongoing negotiations, including a key meeting scheduled for today, October 20, and urged "responsible and patriotic health workers" to ignore the directive and resume duties immediately.
As today's scheduled talks loom, all eyes are on whether dialogue can bridge the chasm—or if the strike will spill into a full-blown shutdown.
With the action set to conclude on October 24 unless resolved, the people of Edo hold their breath, caught between workers' rightful grievances and the urgent need for healing hands.
The industrial action, which kicked off at midnight on Friday, October 17, has paralyzed public hospitals and clinics, leaving patients scrambling for alternatives and amplifying fears of a deepening healthcare crisis.
The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Edo State Council, led by Chairman Comrade Osagie Ogbeide and Secretary Barivure Kpakol, issued the strike directive last week following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum to Governor Monday Okpebholo's administration.
Union members are demanding urgent action on long-standing welfare issues, including the renovation of dilapidated doctors' quarters, payment of outstanding allowances, implementation of salary adjustments under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), and resolution of inherited arrears from the previous administration under Godwin Obaseki.
In a defiant statement circulated on Sunday, October 19, the union's Public Relations Officer, Comrade Iduwe Endurance, underscored the workers' resolve: "Total compliance is required, and anything short won't be tolerated."
The standoff has drawn fierce condemnation from Governor Okpebholo, who on Saturday labeled the strike "ill-timed, unpatriotic, and wholly unjustified."
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor accused union leaders of pursuing "ulterior motives and extra financial demands" at the expense of vulnerable citizens.
He highlighted ongoing negotiations, including a key meeting scheduled for today, October 20, and urged "responsible and patriotic health workers" to ignore the directive and resume duties immediately.
As today's scheduled talks loom, all eyes are on whether dialogue can bridge the chasm—or if the strike will spill into a full-blown shutdown.
With the action set to conclude on October 24 unless resolved, the people of Edo hold their breath, caught between workers' rightful grievances and the urgent need for healing hands.
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