Workers at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, under the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), have commenced an indefinite strike over the disciplinary case involving the hospital’s Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Adeyinka Ishola.
The union said the industrial action began on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, after repeated attempts to resolve the dispute with hospital management failed.
At the centre of the dispute is the sale of a tricycle donated to the Pharmacy Department and the disciplinary action subsequently taken against Ishola.
NUAHP Chairman, Oladayo Olabampe, said the union is demanding the implementation of a recommendation by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for Ishola to be reprimanded and reinstated.
According to Olabampe, an initial UCH investigation had recommended disciplinary action against Ishola before the matter was referred to the ministry.
He said the ministry subsequently constituted an independent investigative panel to review the case.
“The panel found Dr Ishola not guilty of any fraudulent act but only guilty of not carrying management along in the sale of the tricycle,” Olabampe said.
He added that the ministry recommended reprimand and reinstatement rather than the dismissal earlier proposed by UCH management.
Olabampe accused the hospital management of refusing to implement the ministry’s recommendation, despite the ministry being its supervisory authority.
The union also rejected the reported position of UCH management that the ministry’s decision was not final.
The dispute dates back more than a year when Ishola was removed from office over allegations that he sold the tricycle without management’s approval.
The tricycle was reportedly donated by a pharmaceutical company and later transferred by Ishola to the Pharmacy Department.
Ishola reportedly told investigators that the tricycle was initially presented to him as a personal gift before he handed it over to the department.
He also reportedly explained that the vehicle was sold because of maintenance concerns, including difficulties obtaining spare parts for its fabricated model.
The N1.3 million proceeds were allegedly used for various needs in the Pharmacy Department, including trolley tyres, laptop batteries and office chairs.
Ishola was also said to have submitted documents showing how the proceeds were accounted for.
However, disagreement over ownership of the tricycle and whether its sale was authorised remains unresolved.
According to Olabampe, NUAHP had engaged management in several rounds of dialogue and issued two ultimatums before declaring the strike.
The union said the industrial action would continue until its demands are addressed.
NUAHP represents 13 of the 15 categories of allied health professionals at UCH.
The latest strike follows another labour dispute at the hospital in March 2026, when UCH unions embarked on a five-day warning strike over alleged electricity rationing.
The current indefinite action could further affect services at UCH, one of Nigeria’s major referral and health-professional training institutions.
