The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals has halted its strike at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo state, for two weeks. This break allows the federal government time to settle its disagreement with the hospital's management. The strike began after the hospital did not reinstate Adeyinka Ishola, the director of pharmaceutical services.
The strike started last Wednesday, and on Tuesday, the union's general secretary, Martin Egbanubi, announced that they paused the industrial action after the federal ministry of health and social welfare stepped in. The decision was made during an emergency virtual meeting between the union's national administrative council and the UCH branch executive committee on September 20.
The two-week pause aims to give the ministry a chance to decisively resolve the issue at hand. If the disagreement is not settled by the end of these two weeks, the notice would act as a warning for a potential strike based on section 41 of the Trade Disputes Act. The union's national leadership would take charge of handling this dispute and rally its branches in both federal and state health facilities for a nationwide solidarity strike.
The union is asking for Ishola to be reinstated as director and head of pharmaceutical services at UCH without any conditions. The union claims that moving Ishola to lead a different unit was like demoting him and was a form of punishment. This redeployment went against the findings of an inquiry panel, which the union said recommended that Ishola only receive a reprimand.
In a separate letter to the chief medical director of UCH, the union announced that they have suspended their industrial strike. Members were instructed to return to work starting Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Last year, Ishola lost his position after being accused of selling a tricycle without informing UCH management.
Ishola explained to the panel that he received the tricycle as a gift and voluntarily donated it to his department. He stated that after it was sold, the 1.3 million Naira earned was used for various departmental needs, such as buying new trolley tires, laptop batteries, and office chairs. According to him, all funds were properly documented and all necessary papers were provided to the investigative panel.
The union had given UCH management a 15-day deadline to reinstate Ishola or face industrial action. They also demanded payment for all financial benefits that had been withheld from Ishola since the health ministry made its decision about his case. The union allowed UCH management another 15-day extension to fulfill their demands before the strike began.
Key points
- The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals has given the federal government two weeks to reinstate Adeyinka Ishola as director of pharmaceutical services at University College Hospital.
- The union's decision to pause the strike was made after the federal ministry of health and social welfare stepped in to resolve the issue.
- If the disagreement is not settled within two weeks, the union may embark on a nationwide solidarity strike.
