By Emmanuella Opara | October 30th, 2026
KEY POINTS
- Oyo APC governorship candidate Sharafadeen Alli has promised prompt payment of salaries, allowances and other workers’ entitlements if elected in 2027.
- His assurance comes amid strikes by medical and dental officers in the state and academic staff at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
- Alli accused Governor Seyi Makinde of neglecting the industrial disputes while pursuing his presidential ambition.
- The APC candidate called for dialogue and emergency arrangements to protect patients who depend on public hospitals.
MAIN STORY
The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has promised prompt payment of workers’ salaries, allowances and other entitlements if elected governor in 2027, amid industrial disputes affecting public healthcare and education in the state.
Alli gave the assurance in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Bisi Oladele, in Ibadan on Thursday.
The promise followed strikes by medical and dental officers employed by the state government and academic staff at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.
While the medical workers began their industrial action on Monday, members of the university’s Academic Staff Union of Universities branch commenced an indefinite strike on Thursday.
The actions have disrupted healthcare services in public hospitals, leaving patients without access to essential medical care.
Alli criticised Governor Seyi Makinde over his handling of the disputes, accusing him of prioritising political activities and his presidential ambition over the welfare of residents and students.
He described the strikes as particularly concerning 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 the payment of outstanding allowances and the restoration of salaries for medical personnel transferred from field assignments to the Ministry of Health.
It also raised concerns about the impact of the strike on an already overstretched medical workforce, warning that prolonged withdrawal of services could further weaken healthcare delivery.
The organisation said vulnerable residents, including pregnant women, children, pensioners and low-income families, would bear the consequences because they depend on public hospitals for treatment.
Alli’s campaign urged the striking workers and lecturers to remain open to meaningful dialogue, while acknowledging their right to pursue legitimate employment demands through lawful means.
It also called on the state government to put immediate contingency arrangements in place to ensure that patients requiring emergency and life-saving treatment could still receive medical attention.
The APC candidate said his proposed administration would prioritise workers’ welfare, engagement with healthcare professionals and the provision of modern equipment and essential facilities in public hospitals.
THE ISSUES
The strikes have exposed disputes over workers’ entitlements and the implementation of employment agreements in Oyo State.
For medical services, the withdrawal of doctors and dental officers comes amid concerns raised by Alli’s campaign organisation about staffing shortages, inadequate equipment and poor hospital facilities.
The industrial action at LAUTECH has also disrupted academic activities, with the campaign linking the dispute to the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.
However, the statement does not provide a response from the Makinde administration or the striking unions to the allegations made by Alli.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“At a time when Oyo State Government hospitals are struggling with shortages of medical personnel, inadequate equipment and other operational challenges, the state can ill-afford the prolonged withdrawal of services by its doctors and dental officers,” the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation said.
“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,” the organisation said.
“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,” the statement said.
“Unlike Makinde, Alli will place the welfare of healthcare professionals, education and the wellbeing of the people at the heart of his administration,” the campaign organisation said.
WHAT’S NEXT
The immediate concerns are the resolution of the disputes involving medical workers and LAUTECH lecturers, as well as arrangements to protect patients requiring urgent treatment while the strikes continue.
Alli’s campaign has called for dialogue between the state government and the unions, alongside contingency measures for emergency healthcare services.
BOTTOM LINE
With strikes disrupting public healthcare and university activities in Oyo State, APC governorship candidate Sharafadeen Alli has made workers’ welfare and prompt payment of entitlements central to his 2027 campaign message. He has also challenged Governor Makinde over his handling of the disputes, although the state government’s response was not included in the report.
