The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has promised prompt payment of salaries, allowances and other entitlements to workers if elected governor in 2027, amid ongoing strikes by doctors in the state’s public hospitals and lecturers at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.
Alli also criticised Governor Seyi Makinde over his alleged failure to address the industrial disputes, accusing him of prioritising political activities and his presidential ambition over the welfare of workers, patients and students.
In a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO), Bisi Oladele, the APC candidate described the strikes as troubling, particularly given the challenges confronting public healthcare facilities and the university.
Medical and dental officers under the Association of Medical and Dental Officers (AMDO) began their industrial action on Monday, while the LAUTECH branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) commenced an indefinite strike on Thursday.
The doctors are demanding payment of outstanding allowances and restoration of salaries of medical personnel transferred from field assignments to the Ministry of Health. The university lecturers are seeking implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, payment of outstanding entitlements, including promotion arrears, and improved facilities.
Alli questioned the Makinde administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare, arguing that unresolved employment-related disputes should not be allowed to disrupt essential healthcare and academic activities.
He warned that the withdrawal of medical services would worsen the challenges facing public hospitals, leaving vulnerable residents, including pregnant women, children, pensioners and low-income earners, at greater risk.
The APC candidate also faulted Makinde for allegedly participating in political activities in the South-East while the strikes persisted, describing it as a misplaced priority.
He said the governor should concentrate on resolving the disputes and addressing the immediate needs of residents rather than pursuing what he described as an illusory presidential ambition.
The campaign organisation, however, urged the striking workers and lecturers to remain open to dialogue while acknowledging their right to pursue legitimate demands through lawful means.
It also called on the state government to make immediate contingency arrangements to ensure that patients requiring emergency and life-saving treatment are not abandoned during the industrial action.
Alli pledged that his administration, if elected, would prioritise workers’ welfare through prompt payment of salaries and allowances, sustained engagement with labour unions and improved funding, equipment and facilities in public hospitals.
