Following the Federal Government’s suspension of the director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) for employment racketeering, the hospital’s management has taken immediate action by laying off over 1,500 personnel. The change, announced in a circular released on Wednesday, triggered a vehement protest from the affected personnel, who gathered outside the hospital gates in Ile-Ife yesterday.
The contentious employment of these workers took place in 2022, but revelations of alleged job racketeering involving the hospital management and some staff prompted the Federal Government’s intervention, leading to the mass layoffs.
Expressing their dissatisfaction, the aggrieved workers gathered at the entrance gates of OAUTH around 7.00 a.m., blocking all access points and disrupting the hospital’s normal operations. Their chants and protests underscored their demand for the management to reconsider its decision and addressed their concerns.
The circular, signed by the Acting Director of Administration, O. O. Omonije, singled out a few workers while instructing over 1,500 others to cease identifying themselves as staff members of the hospital. This move, however, only intensified the workers’ resolve to seek redress.
The protest had a cascading effect on the hospital’s routine activities, causing inconvenience to patients and disrupting clinical services within and around the complex.
In response to the situation, the affected workers are calling on the management to rescind the decision, settle outstanding salary arrears, and retract the allegations of their involvement in job racketeering.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of OAUTH, Kemi Fasoto, indicated that the management is awaiting directives from the Minister of Health and Social Welfare regarding the unfolding issue.
