IBADAN — Health workers under the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan Chapter, have commenced an indefinite strike over the alleged failure of hospital management to implement a Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare recommendation on the disciplinary case involving the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Dr Adeyinka Ishola.
The union, in a notice to its members, said the industrial action began on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, following what it described as repeated but unsuccessful attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue.
The dispute arose from the sale of a tricycle donated to the hospital’s Pharmacy Department, an action that subsequently led to Ishola’s removal from office more than a year ago.
NUAHP Chairman, Oladayo Olabampe, said an independent panel constituted by the Federal Ministry found Ishola not guilty of fraudulent conduct but established that he committed an administrative error by disposing of the tricycle without adequately carrying hospital management along.
According to Olabampe, the ministry consequently recommended that Ishola be reprimanded and reinstated.
He alleged, however, that UCH management had declined to implement the recommendation, maintaining that the ministry’s position was not final.
The union rejected that position, insisting that the recommendation of the supervising ministry should be implemented. Olabampe said NUAHP had issued two ultimatums to management before resolving to embark on the indefinite strike.
Ishola had reportedly told investigators that the tricycle was initially presented to him as a personal gift by a pharmaceutical company before he handed it over to the Pharmacy Department. He also explained that he authorised its sale after concerns over maintenance and the availability of spare parts.
He said the N1.3 million realised from the transaction was applied to departmental needs, including replacement of trolley tyres and laptop batteries and the provision of office chairs, with supporting documents reportedly submitted to investigators.
The ownership and disposal of the tricycle, however, remain at the centre of the dispute, with management reportedly maintaining that the item became hospital property after being handed over to the Pharmacy Department.
The latest industrial action could further disrupt services at UCH, one of the country’s major referral and medical training institutions. It follows a five-day warning strike by UCH workers in March 2026 over alleged electricity rationing, which unions said was affecting surgeries, laboratory services and other clinical operations.
