The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has backed the industrial action embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

JOHESU, an affiliate of TUC, directed its members to continue their ongoing industrial action that started on November 15, 2025, despite a Federal Government’s directive enforcing the ‘no work, no pay’ policy.

The decision followed an emergency virtual meeting of the union’s national leadership held on Monday, January 12, after the expiration of a 72-hour extension of the strike.

Reacting, the TUC knocked the Federal Government for allegedly trying to intimidate the protesting health workers without considering the economic realities.

TUC rejected a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on the implementation of a “No Work, No Pay” policy and the stoppage of salaries of members of the Joint Health Sector Unions through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, effective January 2026.

In a statement released on Wednesday, jointly signed by its President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, N.A. Toro, the congress described the directive as unacceptable and said it undermined ongoing negotiations between the government and health sector unions.

The TUC said the action violated established industrial relations principles and accused the ministry of acting unilaterally while negotiations were still ongoing.

According to the congress, the stoppage of salaries of JOHESU members would worsen the hardship faced by health workers amid rising inflation, fuel price increases and broader economic challenges.

The statement reads, “The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria unequivocally, vehemently, and totally rejects the circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on the so-called implementation of “No Work, No Pay” and the stoppage of salaries of members of the JOHESU through IPPIS, effective January 2026.

“Congress states in the clearest terms that this action is a gross abuse of power, a deliberate sabotage of ongoing negotiations, and a flagrant violation of established industrial relations principles.

“It represents a return to command-and-control labour administration, which has no place in a democratic society. Let it be clearly understood: You cannot negotiate with workers on one hand and unleash punishment with the other. This circular is not policy; it is intimidation, and Congress will not accept it.”

The TUC also warned against what it described as the use of IPPIS to penalise workers, stating that it would resist any attempt to pressure workers through salary stoppages.

“Let it be clearly understood: You cannot negotiate with workers on one hand and unleash punishment with the other. This circular is not policy; it is intimidation, and Congress will not accept it. The stoppage of salaries of JOHESU members, workers who daily save lives, is wicked, insensitive, provocative, and profoundly unpatriotic, especially at a time when Nigerian workers are already being crushed by inflation, fuel price hikes, and economic hardship imposed by government policies.

“The TUC warns that the weaponisation of IPPIS to punish workers is an abuse of state machinery, and Congress will resist any attempt to starve workers into submission, ” the Union said.

The TUC demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the circular, restoration of all affected salaries and a return to negotiations within seven days.

It warned that failure by the ministry to reverse the decision within the stipulated period would force the congress to mobilise workers across sectors for collective action.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa says lecturers in the “professorial cadre” will now enjoy a ₦140k monthly top-up with the landmark deal signed between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government.

Alausa said this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“This allowance is for professors. As long as you’re a full-time professor or you’re a reader, you’ll get that additional top-up,” the minister said on the current affairs show.

“No, it’s been bucketed per annum salary, but you get it every month, and I can tell you a professor will get almost over N140,000 top-off every month. A reader gets about 70,000 top-up additional every month.”

The push is one of the measures to end the incessant strikes by lecturers in Nigeria’s public universities.

Some of the key components of the agreement includes a 40 per cent review of emoluments for university teaching staff and the introduction of a professorial cadre.

“For the first time, the FG has approved a new professorial cadre allowance that apply to senior academics at the level of full time professors and readers in our tertiary institutions,” the minister said during the signing and unveiling of the agreement in Abuja.

“Let me emphasize clearly that these allowances apply strictly to full time and not part time professors and readers.

“This approval recognises the significant workload, administrative, scholarly and research responsibilities borne by academics at this level by the virtue of their profession and positions as professors or readers in our universities.”

When asked if the Federal Government can sustain it, Alausa said, “When the president was convinced that he had the funding, he signed off. Today we have the funding to support the 40% salary increase that we’ve given our lecturers in all our tertiary institutions.

“We started with ASUU today. The enhanced and academic allowances, nine of them in all, have been very structured now—well structured. The lecturers know, academics know who is paying: the one the universities will pay, and the one the federal government will pay via their personnel costs.”

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) is saddened by the passing of two distinguished and outstanding journalists, Messrs Yakubu Mohammed and Dan Agbese.

By the death of Mohammed and Agbese, who were among the three surviving co-founders of Newswatch Magazine, Nigerian journalism has lost great and irreplaceable treasures.

Yakubu Mohammed and Dan Agbese, both seasoned journalists and members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), were respected voices in Nigerian media and Nigeria as a whole.

Their incisive commentaries and commitment to press freedom and democratic values, inspired many.

These iconic journalists were fearless, professional and brought prestige to journalism by their works.

They gave investigative journalism in Nigeria impetus and contributed immensely to nation-building.

As a mark of respect for Yakubu Mohammed and Dan Agbese, we urged all journalists to set aside one day to redeficate themselves and reflect on the salient points of journalism, with eyes on the cardinal points of good journalism, which are truth, accuracy, fairness, objectivity, independence, integrity, ethical standards, transparency, and accountability.