Oyo doctors and LAUTECH lecturers strike as APC's Alli blames Makinde
- Medical workers in Oyo began a strike on Monday, and LAUTECH lecturers began one on Thursday.
- APC's Sharafadeen Alli blames Governor Seyi Makinde and says he neglected workers' welfare.
- Alli promises to pay salaries and allowances promptly if he wins the 2027 election.
Medical and dental officers in Oyo State have been on strike since Monday, and lecturers at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, began an indefinite strike on Thursday, according to the Sharafadeen Alli campaign organisation.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for 2027, Sharafadeen Alli, has blamed Governor Seyi Makinde for the two strikes, saying the governor has not done enough to settle workers' welfare. His campaign said this in a statement on Thursday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, in Ibadan.
For ordinary residents, the strikes mean public hospitals are short of medical staff and students at LAUTECH are out of lectures. The campaign said patients in government hospitals are being left without essential medical attention.
What the workers are asking for
The campaign organisation described the medical workers' demands as legitimate. It said they include payment of outstanding allowances and the restoration of salaries for staff moved from field assignments to the Ministry of Health.
For the lecturers, it said the dispute is over outstanding allowances and the implementation of the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The campaign said the state government should have stopped the disputes from growing into strikes. It warned that every extra day of the doctors' strike raises concerns about emergency treatment and the care of vulnerable patients.
It also accused Makinde of putting his presidential ambition ahead of the crisis. "Rather than remain at his duty post to resolve a crisis... the governor is busy chasing the mirage of an illusory presidential ambition," the statement said.
The campaign appealed to the striking workers to stay open to dialogue. It also asked the state government to make emergency arrangements for patients who need urgent care.
What happens next
Alli said an APC-led government would pay salaries and allowances promptly, engage health professionals properly and provide modern equipment in public hospitals.
