UCH allied health workers begin indefinite strike over director’s reinstatement

By Adejayan Gbenga

Health workers under the University College Hospital, Ibadan chapter of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals have begun an indefinite strike over the alleged refusal of hospital management to implement the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s recommendation on the disciplinary case involving the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Dr. Adeyinka Ishola.

The union announced the strike in a letter to its members, saying the action began Wednesday, September 16, 2026, after several attempts to resolve the dispute through dialogue failed. The dispute followed the sale of a tricycle donated to the hospital’s Pharmacy Department and the disciplinary action taken against Ishola.

NUAHP Chairman, Oladayo Olabampe, said the union was demanding the implementation of the ministry’s recommendation that Ishola be reprimanded and reinstated. He said an initial UCH investigation recommended disciplinary action before the matter was referred to the ministry for further consideration.

Olabampe said the ministry subsequently set up an independent investigative team, which found Ishola not guilty of fraud but responsible for failing to inform hospital management before the tricycle was sold.

He said the ministry consequently recommended that Ishola be reprimanded and reinstated instead of facing the disciplinary action proposed by the hospital’s panel. According to him, UCH management has declined to implement the recommendation despite the ministry’s supervisory role.

The union chairman said NUAHP did not consider the sale fraudulent, although he acknowledged that Ishola may have committed an administrative error by failing to obtain management’s approval. He said the union had exhausted dialogue and issued two ultimatums before resorting to the indefinite strike.

Ishola was removed from office more than a year ago over the sale of the tricycle. He reportedly said the vehicle was sold because of difficulties in maintaining its fabricated model and that the N1.3 million proceeds were used for various Pharmacy Department needs, including replacing trolley tyres and laptop batteries and purchasing office chairs.

Ishola also reportedly maintained that the proceeds were fully accounted for and that supporting documents were submitted to the investigative panel. The latest action follows a five-day warning strike by UCH workers in March over alleged electricity rationing and its effect on clinical services.