Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has assured striking workers of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, that outstanding salary, minimum wage and promotion arrears will be paid, while approving an increase in cleaners’ monthly salaries from ₦15,000 to ₦80,000.
Makinde gave the assurances on Thursday, October 15, during a meeting with stakeholders at the hospital, where he appealed to the striking workers to suspend their industrial action and give the government the opportunity to address their grievances.
The governor said the outstanding issues, including salary arrears, minimum wage arrears, promotion arrears and the Medical Residency Training Bill, would be addressed, noting that the government was committed to resolving the disputes despite mounting financial pressures.
He explained that the state’s wage bill had risen from ₦4.5 billion in 2019 to ₦18 billion in 2026, despite the public perception that increased federal allocations had significantly improved the financial position of state governments.
Makinde also cited the rising cost of infrastructure projects as evidence of the economic challenges facing the state, noting that the 76-kilometre Iseyin–Fapote–Ogbomoso Road, which cost ₦43 billion in 2023, would now require at least ₦200 billion to execute.
“Initially, I didn’t want to respond to those who are on strike. But if there are challenges, we must find ways to solve them. You put this government in place. The first step is for you to call off the strike, and once you assure me of that, we can move forward,” he said.
The governor confirmed that the ₦162 million salary arrears owed to the workers would be paid, adding that the October salary bill had already been prepared and signed, while the arrears were expected to be settled by mid-November.
He also promised to clear ₦38 million in minimum wage and promotion arrears covering October, November and December 2024, particularly addressing concerns raised by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
“I will look for ₦200 million so that once salaries are paid, we can settle these arrears, hopefully before mid-November,” Makinde said.
On the Medical Residency Training Bill, the governor said he would sign the legislation upon receiving the clean copies, expressing the hope that this would be done in the first week of November.
In a move that attracted applause, Makinde approved an increase in the monthly salaries of cleaners at the hospital from ₦15,000 to ₦80,000, following an impromptu appeal by the workers during his visit. The new salary, he said, would bring their earnings in line with the national minimum wage.
The governor, who has about seven months left in office, said he was determined to resolve as many outstanding issues as possible before the end of his administration to enable his successor to concentrate on new priorities.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, thanked the governor for his support for the health sector and assured the workers that the administration remained committed to ending recurring industrial disputes.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Olawale Olakulehin, and the Board Chairman, Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, also commended the governor and appealed to the workers and union leaders to cooperate with the government.
Representatives of the resident doctors, including Dr. Mustapha Adedapo and Dr. John Oladapo, the second vice-president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), as well as Comrade Olobaniyi David of JOHESU, praised the governor for his interventions, the ongoing renovation of the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Annex in Oyo and the payment of some outstanding arrears.
They, however, called for sustained implementation of professional allowance tables for resident doctors and allied health workers.
Those present at the meeting included the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin; Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole; Head of Service, Dr. Adenike Fashina; and Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Kazeem Adeniyi.
Others were the Senior Executive Assistant to the Governor on General Duties, Chief Bayo Lawal; APM deputy governorship candidate in Oyo State, Engr. Mufutau Open Salawu; former Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Professor Temitope Alonge; commissioners; labour leaders and other dignitaries.
