Makinde Pledges ₦200m To Clear LAUTECH Hospital Arrears, Raises Cleaners’ Pay To ₦80,000

By Victoria Isaac

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has pledged to settle outstanding salary-related arrears owed to workers of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, and approved an increase in the monthly salaries of cleaners at the facility from ₦15,000 to ₦80,000.

The governor gave the assurances on Thursday during a meeting with stakeholders at the hospital, where he addressed the concerns of striking workers over salary arrears, minimum wage arrears, promotion arrears and the Medical Residency Training Bill.

Makinde appealed to the workers to call off the strike, assuring them that the state government would address their outstanding demands. He acknowledged the financial challenges facing the state, explaining that its rising financial obligations had placed increasing pressure on available revenue.

The governor said Oyo State’s monthly wage bill had increased from ₦4.5 billion in 2019 to ₦18 billion in 2026, despite the general expectation that higher federal allocations would ease the state’s financial burden.

He also cited the rising cost of infrastructure projects, using the 76-kilometre Iseyin–Fapote–Ogbomoso Road as an example. According to him, the project, which cost ₦43 billion in 2023, would now require at least ₦200 billion to execute because of inflation and other economic pressures.

Makinde said: “Initially, I didn’t want to respond to those who are on strike. But if there are challenges, we must find ways to solve them. You put this government in place. The first step is for you to call off the strike, and once you assure me of that, we can move forward. This is our state; how we lay our bed is how we will lie on it.”

Reiterating the financial realities confronting the state, the governor said: “When I assumed office in 2019, FAAC was around ₦6–7 billion, and the first salary bill I signed was ₦4.5 billion. Today, the same road project we executed for ₦43 billion would cost ₦200 billion. That is our situation.”

On the outstanding salary payments, Makinde confirmed that the ₦162 million owed to the workers in salary arrears would be paid. He disclosed that the October salary bill had already been prepared and signed, adding that the arrears would be settled by mid-November.

The governor noted that although he had approximately seven months left in office, he remained committed to resolving as many outstanding issues as possible before leaving office, so that the incoming administration could concentrate on other priorities.

He also assured the workers that the Medical Residency Training Bill would be signed once he received the clean copies, with the first week of November set as the target.

Addressing the concerns raised by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Makinde said the state government would also clear ₦38 million in minimum wage and promotion arrears covering October, November and December 2024.

He said: “I will look for ₦200 million so that once salaries are paid, we can settle these arrears, hopefully before mid-November.”

In a move that drew applause from those present, the governor approved an increase in the monthly salaries of cleaners at the hospital from ₦15,000 to ₦80,000, aligning their pay with the national minimum wage.

The decision followed an appeal made by the cleaners, who met the governor during his visit and presented their concerns to him.

In her remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, expressed appreciation to the governor for his consistent support for the health sector. She assured the workers that the administration was committed to addressing the recurring strikes affecting the sector.

The Chief Medical Director of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Professor Olawale Olakulehin, and the Board Chairman, Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, also thanked the governor for his interventions and appealed to the hospital staff and labour union leaders to cooperate with the government in resolving the outstanding issues.

Representatives of the resident doctors, including Dr. Mustapha Adedapo; Dr. John Oladapo, the second vice-president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD); and Comrade Olobaniyi David of JOHESU, also commended the governor for his interventions.

They acknowledged the ongoing renovations at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Annex in Oyo and the payment of some outstanding arrears. They, however, appealed to the government to sustain the implementation of professional allowance tables for resident doctors and allied health workers.

Those present at the meeting included the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin; the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde; the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole; the Head of Service, Dr. (Mrs.) Adenike Fashina, mni; the Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Kazeem Adeniyi; and the Senior Executive Assistant to the Governor on General Duties, Chief Bayo Lawal.

Also in attendance were the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Engr. Mufutau Open Salawu; the former Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Professor Temitope Alonge; commissioners; labour union leaders; and other dignitaries.