Ondo Group Urges Governor to Implement Hospital Agreement Amid Strike

The Ooye Development Initiatives (ODI), a socio-cultural group in Akure, Ondo State, has appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to resolve an ongoing dispute between the state government and the Federal University of Technology, Akure Teaching Hospital (FUTATH).

Organized labor, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), initiated an indefinite strike at the hospital on Monday. The strike aims to pressure the government to implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the state and federal governments concerning the hospital's operations and staff.

ODI President Muyiwa Jegede warned that the strike would negatively affect the state capital's residents and hamper general healthcare, potentially leading to loss of lives. He urged both the state and federal governments to fulfill their commitments under the MoU. Specifically, ODI called on the Aiyedatiwa administration to adhere to provisions requiring the state to absorb leftover staff from the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital after federal verification and to continue paying FUTATH staff salaries.

"We call on the Ondo State government not to jeopardize lives of patients in the hospital and thus come to an agreement on how to prevent losses of lives that this strike action could result into," Jegede stated. He emphasized that respecting the MoU in a cordial atmosphere is crucial, as industrial action would harm the hospital's operations.

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We call on the Ondo State government not to jeopardize lives of patients in the hospital and thus come to an agreement on how to prevent losses of lives that this strike action could result into.