The Oyo State Government has faulted the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation over its statement on the ongoing industrial disputes in the state, describing it as an attempt to exploit legitimate concerns for partisan advantage.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser (Media) to Governor Seyi Makinde, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, on October 30, the government said individuals whose party presided over many of the challenges the present administration inherited now seek to lecture it on workers’ welfare, healthcare and education.
The government said Governor Makinde remains fully committed to resolving all outstanding issues through constructive engagement with the affected unions, adding that committees have been constituted and discussions are ongoing through established channels.
According to the statement, since December 27, 2023, the state government has consistently provided financial backing for the implementation of allowances and welfare provisions at the centre of the dispute involving members of the Association of Medical and Dental Officers (AMDO).
The provisions include skipping allowance, Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), responsibility allowance, rural posting allowance and in-service training with pay.
“These are neither policy pronouncements nor campaign promises. They are concrete financial commitments that this administration has funded and sustained,” the statement said.
The government added that its investment in healthcare personnel is yielding results, noting that one of the doctors sponsored by the state recently recorded the best combined Part I and Part II results in the Faculty of Family Medicine at the September 2026 National Postgraduate Medical College examinations.
It said the current dispute is therefore not about refusal to recognise doctors’ entitlements.
The government accused Senator Alli and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to present themselves as champions of workers’ welfare, stating that Oyo people have not forgotten that the APC era was marked by recurring labour disputes and strained relations with organised labour.
It also faulted Alli’s comments on LAUTECH, saying under the APC administration, despite President Bola Tinubu being University Chancellor at the time, LAUTECH became synonymous with uncertainty, prolonged disruptions and an unresolved ownership crisis.
“Governor Makinde inherited that crisis and resolved it. His administration took the bold decision to end the ownership dispute, restore stability to the university and reposition LAUTECH as one of the leading state-owned institutions in Nigeria. Those who failed to solve the problems of yesterday cannot credibly claim to be the custodians of the solutions today,” the statement said.
The government further described as misleading the suggestion that Governor Makinde is absent from governance, saying governance is not conducted through media headlines but through institutions, ministries and engagement mechanisms.
It said the administration’s record on workers’ welfare since 2019 includes consistent salary payments, attention to pension obligations and implementation of promotions.
“The attempt to portray Governor Makinde’s engagements outside the state as evidence of neglect is equally dishonest. A governor’s commitment to governance is measured not by his physical location at every moment but by the strength of the institutions he has built,” it added.
The government said Makinde remains focused on governance and determined to ensure the issues are resolved in a manner that protects the interests of all stakeholders.
