Workers Revolt Over Silent NHIS Deductions
By DIANA CHUKWUKA
ACROSS Nigeria’s federal ministries, departments and agencies, frustration is boiling over. What appeared at first to be minor salary discrepancies—deductions between ₦1,000 and ₦2,000 in October—has widened into a national outcry, with workers accusing the Federal Government of wage tampering masked as health reform.
The controversy began when civil servants noticed unexplained cuts in their October 2025 salaries. Only afterward did a government circular emerge, revealing that the deductions were part of mandatory contributions to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The circular, titled “Implementation of Statutory Deduction for the National Health Insurance Scheme,” explained that statutory payments had commenced and were responsible for the reduced pay across MDAs.
For many workers, the issue is not just the money—it is the method.
A Policy Rolled Out Backwards
From the shop floors of federal agencies to union offices, the sentiment is the same: government acted first and informed later. Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Chris Onyeka, described the move as “questionable and highly unacceptable,” accusing the government of bypassing dialogue and due process.
“You cannot deduct and then inform,” he said. “You notify, you dialogue, and then you deduct.”
Workers argue that health insurance, while essential, should be employer-funded. They point to decades of representation at the NHIS board and insist that social health protection was never meant to be financed from workers’ pockets.
Stories from the Pay Slip
For some civil servants, the deductions carried a deeper sting. Mercy Adams, a mother of three, said she was startled to see nearly ₦2,000 missing from her salary. In a period marked by rising inflation and shrinking household budgets, even small deductions carry heavy weight.
“The way the government went about it was not fair enough,” she said. Others echoed similar frustrations, calling the initiative covert and inconsiderate.
Government’s Defence: Reform for the Future
The Federal Government maintains that the deductions are lawful under the National Health Insurance Authority Act, signed into law in 2022. The legislation makes health insurance compulsory across Nigeria’s public, private and informal sectors—an attempt to push the country closer to Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
The bill’s sponsor, former Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, described the law as a step toward a “robust, affordable and sustainable financial mechanism for health.” The government argues that the scheme will reduce out-of-pocket medical costs and improve access to quality healthcare. It also claims that 99 per cent of federal workers are already under NHIS coverage.
Between Reform and Reality
At the heart of the dispute lies a broader tension: Nigerians generally support health insurance as a path to improved care, but they mistrust a system that often implements policies without transparency, consultation or empathy.
For many workers, the deductions symbolize more than a financial hit—they represent a broken communication bridge between the government and its workforce. Unions are now demanding refunds, dialogue and adherence to due process, insisting that health insurance should be a right provided by employers, not an additional cost borne by employees.
As the government pushes its health financing reform, it now faces a critical test: whether it can convince its own workforce that the NHIS deductions are a step toward stronger healthcare—or whether the policy will remain another flashpoint in the struggle between reform ambitions and public trust.
