Health workers at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, have commenced an indefinite strike over the alleged failure of the hospital management to implement a recommendation by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare concerning the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Dr Adeyinka Ishola.
The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, UCH chapter, announced the industrial action on Wednesday, September 16, following what it described as unsuccessful efforts to resolve the dispute through dialogue.
The dispute centres on the sale of a tricycle donated to the hospital’s Pharmacy Department. The union said an independent investigation conducted by the Federal Ministry of Health found Ishola not guilty of fraud but faulted him for failing to carry the hospital management along before the tricycle was sold.
According to the union, the ministry recommended that Ishola be reprimanded and reinstated rather than dismissed. However, NUAHP Chairman Oladayo Olabampe alleged that the hospital management had refused to implement the recommendation, insisting that the ministry’s decision was not final.
The union said Ishola had maintained that the proceeds from the N1.3m sale of the tricycle were fully accounted for and used for various needs within the Pharmacy Department, including replacing trolley tyres and laptop batteries and providing office chairs. The hospital management, however, reportedly maintained that the tricycle became hospital property after it was handed over to the department.
Olabampe said the union had issued two ultimatums and held several meetings with management without reaching a resolution. He said the strike would continue indefinitely until the union’s demands were met.
The latest industrial action comes months after another labour dispute at UCH. In March 2026, workers embarked on a five-day warning strike over alleged electricity rationing at the hospital, which they said affected surgeries, laboratory services and other clinical operations.
The current strike could further disrupt services at UCH, one of the major referral and training hospitals serving Ibadan and other parts of the region.