Nigeria's federal health workers are threatening to down tools nationwide. Behind the threat is an unpaid bill: allowances owed for 19 months, plus salary adjustments the government agreed to but never implemented. Union figures say members have waited long enough while the arrears stayed on paper. A walkout would land on public hospitals and clinics, many of which already run short of staff. Previous rounds of talks produced commitments that went unmet, the workers argue, which explains their scepticism toward fresh promises. Striking now would disrupt care for patients across the country and pile pressure on an already strained system. The workers' demand is plain: pay what you owe before the wards start emptying.