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By Doris Obinna
The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has expressed strong opposition to what it described as a selective and discriminatory review of the retirement age in Nigeria’s health sector.
In an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, signed by its Chairman, Kabiru Ado Minjibir, and its Secretary, Martin Egbanubi, JOHESU criticised a recent circular issued through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), which it said favoured only one cadre of health professionals. The union argued that healthcare delivery is multidisciplinary and warned that policies that elevate one group above others undermine equity, teamwork and efficiency within the system.
JOHESU stated that it has championed the demand for an increased retirement age for health workers for about 15 years, describing it as a core demand reflected in all eight Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) it signed with the Federal Government (FG) between 2014 and 2024. According to the union, the agitation was initially resisted by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and some professional bodies, which it accused of later “hijacking” the benefit for physicians and a few others.
The union recalled that during negotiations following its June 2023 strike, it drew attention to existing provisions that allow university staff to retire at 65 years, with professors retiring at 70. JOHESU said it relied on this precedent to demand an increase in retirement age for all health workers from 60 to 65 years, and up to 70 years for health consultants. It noted that the National Council on Establishments had rejected this demand on four occasions, including in December 2025.
JOHESU further claimed that it was at its instance that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment mandated the Ministry of Health to present the issue to President Tinubu for Federal Executive Council (FEC) consideration, which was eventually approved. However, it alleged that after the approval, the Ministry of Health and physician groups manipulated the process through a committee whose outcome led to a selective application of the policy.
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The union accused the committee of introducing what it called an “illegitimate and discriminatory” classification of “clinically skilled health workers,” which, it said, restricted the retirement age of 70 years to consultant physicians. JOHESU insisted that this was not its minimum demand and maintained that the MoU of 4 June 2023 clearly provided for a retirement age of 65 years for all health workers and 70 years for all health consultants.
According to JOHESU, it formally rejected the revised position as far back as September 2025 and warned that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had continued an agenda of suppressing non-physician health workers while attempting to fracture union cohesion.
The union warned that selective implementation of retirement age extension amounts to discrimination and violates the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as principles of fairness and equal opportunity. It added that the new circular would damage workforce morale, encourage early retirement and lead to the premature exit of experienced personnel critical to the health system.
JOHESU called on President Tinubu to direct the issuance of an all-inclusive and non-discriminatory retirement age circular that covers all health workers, including non-hospital-based staff, through an amendment of the 31 December 2025 circular. It also urged alignment with the FG-JOHESU MoU of 4 June 2023, noting that it had earlier alerted the OHCSF to alleged attempts to undermine the agreement.
In its conclusion, JOHESU appealed for presidential intervention, urging the President to consult legal experts to address the matter decisively and tackle what it described as longstanding challenges created within the health ministry. The union said it remained committed to fairness, justice and transparency, and expressed hope for what it called the President’s “kind and fatherly intervention” to safeguard Nigeria’s health sector.
