Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
Health workers under the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals NUAHP at the University College Hospital UCH, Ibadan, have begun an indefinite strike over the hospital management’s alleged refusal to reinstate its Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Dr Adeyinka Ishola.
The industrial action commenced at midnight on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, after the union said several attempts to resolve the dispute through dialogue, negotiations and ultimatums failed.
NUAHP is demanding the implementation of what it described as a Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare recommendation on Ishola’s disciplinary case.
According to the union, a ministry investigation did not find Ishola guilty of fraud in connection with the sale of a tricycle associated with the hospital’s Pharmacy Department, but found that he failed to properly carry UCH management along in the transaction.
The union said the ministry consequently recommended that Ishola be reprimanded and reinstated rather than dismissed.
UCH management has reportedly not implemented that recommendation, leading to the latest industrial dispute. The Cable and Punch also reported the union’s declaration of the indefinite strike and its demand for Ishola’s reinstatement.
Dispute Centres on Pharmaceutical Director
The dispute concerns Dr Adeyinka Ishola, who was removed from his position more than a year ago following controversy over the sale of a tricycle connected to the Pharmacy Department.
NUAHP Chairman at UCH, Comrade Oladayo Olabampe, announced the strike during a press conference in Ibadan on Tuesday, September 15.
Olabampe said the union had pursued several avenues to resolve the disagreement before resorting to industrial action.
According to the union, it issued two 15-day ultimatums and engaged the hospital management in discussions, negotiations and appeals.
The union said those efforts did not produce a resolution, prompting it to direct its members to withdraw their services indefinitely.
Tribune Online reported that NUAHP’s central demand is the immediate implementation of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s reported decision to reprimand and reinstate Ishola.
Union Relies on Federal Ministry Investigation
At the heart of the dispute is the difference between the outcome of the initial hospital investigation and the subsequent investigation conducted by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, according to NUAHP.
The union said an initial panel was constituted by UCH management to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tricycle’s sale.
NUAHP said its representative participated as an observer during the process and later raised concerns about aspects of the investigation.
According to the union’s account, the hospital panel recommended disciplinary action against Ishola and forwarded its findings to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The ministry subsequently sent a team to conduct what the union described as an independent investigation.
NUAHP said the federal investigation reached a different conclusion from the hospital’s recommendation.
According to the union, the ministry did not find Ishola guilty of a fraudulent act but considered his failure to involve hospital management in the transaction an administrative matter.
The union said the ministry therefore recommended reprimand and reinstatement.
Weng Global could not independently verify the full contents of the ministry’s investigative report from publicly available materials reviewed for this report. The reported findings should therefore be understood as presented by NUAHP unless and until the ministry or UCH publishes the relevant report.
What Triggered the Dispute?
The controversy began with the sale of a tricycle that had been donated to, or was associated with, the Pharmacy Department.
According to reports, the tricycle was provided by a pharmaceutical company. Ishola’s account, as reported by Newspeak Online, was that the vehicle had initially been given to him personally and that he subsequently handed it over to the department.
He reportedly argued that the tricycle was difficult to maintain because of its design and the potential difficulty of obtaining spare parts.
The vehicle was subsequently sold, triggering questions over whether Ishola had the authority to dispose of it without formal approval from UCH management.
Newspeak Online reported the union’s account that proceeds from the sale were used for departmental needs, including trolley tyres, laptop batteries and office chairs, with the funds said to have been accounted for.
However, reports differ on the amount involved. Tribune Online reported that the tricycle was sold for N1.1 million, while Newspeak Online reported N1.3 million based on the account presented by the union and Ishola. Weng Global therefore does not present either figure as independently established without access to the underlying transaction records.
Conflicting Positions Over the Disciplinary Case
The dispute has produced different positions regarding the authority and status of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s reported recommendation.
NUAHP maintains that the ministry’s recommendation should be implemented because it was reached after a separate investigation into the matter.
The union said UCH management has taken the position that the ministry’s recommendation does not constitute a final determination of the disciplinary matter.
That position, however, is being reported here as the union’s characterization of management’s stance. A detailed statement from UCH management responding to the union’s latest allegations was not found in the current reports reviewed by Weng Global.
This distinction is important because the industrial dispute involves not only the question of Ishola’s reinstatement but also competing interpretations of institutional authority and the disciplinary process.
Health Professionals Involved in Strike
The industrial action affects multiple categories of allied health professionals at UCH.
NUAHP said participating professionals include pharmacists, physiotherapists, medical laboratory scientists, radiographers, health information managers, medical social workers, environmental health officers, dental therapists and dental technologists, among others.
The breadth of the affected professional groups means the dispute has the potential to affect several areas of hospital operations.
However, the exact impact on individual services will depend on how the strike is implemented and what arrangements the hospital makes for essential healthcare services.
The union has said the action will continue indefinitely until its demands are addressed.
Union Says It Exhausted Dialogue
NUAHP said it did not move directly to industrial action.
Olabampe said the union had consulted with relevant parties, negotiated with management and issued two 15-day ultimatums before declaring the strike.
The union chairman said those efforts failed to resolve the disagreement.
The union has subsequently appealed to the Federal Government and other stakeholders to intervene in the matter and encourage a resolution between the parties.
Tribune reported that NUAHP said it had exhausted its available avenues of engagement before declaring the industrial action.
Wider Implications for UCH
The University College Hospital, Ibadan, is one of Nigeria’s major tertiary healthcare institutions, with responsibilities spanning patient care, medical training, specialist services and research.
An indefinite strike involving several allied health professions therefore has implications beyond the immediate dispute between the union and hospital management.
Many allied health professionals perform functions that support diagnosis, treatment, medication management, laboratory services, rehabilitation, radiology, health information management and other aspects of hospital care.
A prolonged disruption could consequently place additional pressure on patients, healthcare workers and hospital administrators, depending on the duration and scope of the industrial action.
The immediate concern for patients is continuity of healthcare services while the administrative and labour dispute is being addressed.
Questions Around Institutional Authority
The dispute also highlights a broader issue within Nigeria’s public healthcare system: how disciplinary decisions involving staff of federal teaching hospitals should be handled when different levels of authority reach or interpret decisions differently.
NUAHP believes the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s reported recommendation should be implemented.
The union’s position is that the ministry’s investigation provided a basis for resolving the matter through reprimand and reinstatement rather than continued removal from office.
UCH management’s full position has not been publicly detailed in the reports reviewed for this article, making it important to distinguish the union’s interpretation from independently established facts.
The case therefore remains an administrative and industrial dispute requiring clarification from the relevant authorities.
Earlier Reporting Raised Questions Over the Tricycle
Independent Journalism Centre FIJ also reported on the controversy before the strike began.
Its September 13 report said a pharmaceutical company had donated a tricycle to the UCH Pharmacy Department in 2023 and that Ishola later sold it for departmental purposes.
FIJ reported that UCH management took a different view of the transaction, while Ishola maintained that the circumstances surrounding the vehicle were different from the management’s account.
The report said the disagreement subsequently escalated into a matter involving the Federal Ministry of Health, with different recommendations emerging during the process.
The existence of differing accounts reinforces the need for the underlying investigative findings and relevant administrative records to be made available before definitive conclusions are drawn about the disciplinary case.
Impact on Patients
For patients, the most immediate issue is whether the strike will affect access to healthcare services at UCH.
The professional groups involved provide a range of services that are integral to the functioning of a tertiary hospital.
However, the precise services affected by the strike and any arrangements for emergency or essential care should be confirmed by UCH management or relevant health authorities.
Patients and relatives who have appointments or ongoing treatment at the hospital may therefore need to seek official information about service availability before travelling to the facility.
Weng Global has not independently confirmed the operational status of every department affected by the industrial action.
What Happens Next
NUAHP has declared that the strike will continue indefinitely until its demands are met.
The union is calling for intervention by the Federal Government and other stakeholders to resolve the disagreement and secure the implementation of the ministry’s reported recommendation.
The next phase of the dispute is therefore likely to depend on engagement between NUAHP, UCH management and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
A formal statement from UCH management would also help clarify the hospital’s position on the ministry’s reported recommendation, the original disciplinary proceedings and the status of Ishola.
For the health workers, the central demand remains reinstatement of the pharmaceutical director.
For the hospital and its patients, the immediate priority is resolution of the dispute and continuity of healthcare services.
Until the relevant authorities provide further clarification, the claims made by the union should remain distinguished from independently verified findings.
Weng Global will continue to monitor developments concerning the strike, the hospital’s response and any intervention by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
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Sources
Tribune Online — Report on NUAHP’s indefinite strike at UCH Ibadan and its demand for the reinstatement of Dr Adeyinka Ishola, published September 15, 2026.
Punch Newspapers — Report on allied health workers beginning an indefinite strike over Ishola’s reinstatement, published September 16, 2026.
The Cable — Report on NUAHP’s planned and subsequent indefinite industrial action over Ishola’s reinstatement, published September 16, 2026.
Newspeak Online — Report on the union’s account of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare investigation and the circumstances surrounding the tricycle sale, published September 15, 2026.
Foundation for Investigative Journalism FIJ — Earlier report examining the tricycle controversy, the conflicting accounts and the disciplinary process involving Ishola, published September 13, 2026.