The Oyo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sharafadeen Alli, has promised to prioritise workers’ welfare and ensure prompt payment of salaries and allowances if elected in 2027, following industrial actions by doctors and university lecturers in the state.
Alli made the pledge amid an ongoing strike by medical and dental officers in Oyo State and an indefinite industrial action declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso branch.
The medical workers began their strike on Monday, while LAUTECH lecturers withdrew their services on Thursday, disrupting healthcare and academic activities.
In a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, Bisi Oladele, the APC candidate criticised Governor Seyi Makinde over his handling of the disputes.
Alli accused the governor of neglecting his responsibilities while pursuing his presidential ambition, despite the disruption of essential services and the difficulties faced by residents and students.
He described the strikes as troubling, particularly given complaints about shortages of medical personnel, inadequate equipment and deteriorating facilities in government-owned hospitals.
The campaign organisation said the demands of the Association of Medical and Dental Officers included payment of outstanding allowances and restoration of salaries for medical personnel transferred from field assignments to the Ministry of Health.
It also questioned why disputes over workers’ entitlements and the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement had been allowed to escalate into industrial action.
The statement said the withdrawal of medical services would worsen the challenges confronting public hospitals, leaving vulnerable residents with limited access to healthcare.
“The consequences are borne not by government officials who can afford private medical care, but by ordinary citizens, particularly pregnant women, children, pensioners and low-income families who depend on public healthcare facilities,” it said.
The campaign organisation further accused Makinde of prioritising political activities outside the state over resolving the disputes.
“Rather than remain at his duty post to resolve a crisis that has further crippled an already struggling public healthcare and education system, the governor is busy chasing the mirage of an illusory presidential ambition,” it added.
It argued that Oyo needed a governor focused on governance rather than pursuing what it described as an unrealistic presidential ambition.
The APC campaign organisation, however, urged the striking doctors and lecturers to remain open to meaningful 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 protect patients requiring emergency and life-saving treatment during the strike.
The organisation said an Alli-led administration would prioritise prompt payment of salaries and allowances, engagement with healthcare professionals and the provision of modern equipment and essential facilities in public hospitals.
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