Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has promised to settle outstanding salary, minimum wage and promotion arrears owed to workers of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, by mid-November.

Makinde gave the assurance on Thursday during a meeting with hospital management, labour representatives and other stakeholders to address the ongoing industrial action by workers.

According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, in Ibadan on Friday, the governor attributed the delays to mounting financial obligations and rising project costs in the state.

He disclosed that Oyo State’s monthly wage bill had increased from ₦4.5bn in 2019 to ₦18bn in 2026, despite higher allocations from the Federation Account.

The governor said the state would mobilise ₦200m to clear outstanding payments, including ₦38m in minimum wage and promotion arrears owed to members of the Joint Health Sector Unions for October, November and December 2024.

He also assured workers that ₦162m in salary arrears would be paid by mid-November, noting that the October salary bill had already been prepared and signed.

Makinde appealed to the striking workers to suspend their industrial action to allow negotiations and resolution of their grievances to proceed.

He cited the rising cost of infrastructure projects as an indication of the state’s financial challenges, noting that the 76-kilometre Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso Road, which cost ₦43bn in 2023, would now require at least ₦200bn to execute.

The governor further pledged to sign the Medical Residency Training Bill once he received the final copies of the document, expressing the administration’s intention to complete the process in the first week of November.

He said that despite having approximately seven months left in office, he remained committed to resolving outstanding issues before the end of his administration.

During the meeting, Makinde also approved an increase in the monthly salaries of cleaners at the teaching hospital from ₦15,000 to ₦80,000, following an appeal by the workers during his visit.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, commended the governor’s support for the health sector and expressed optimism that the administration’s engagement with the unions would help prevent recurring strikes.

The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Olawale Olakulehin, and Board Chairman, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, also appealed to staff and union leaders to cooperate with the government in resolving the dispute.

Representatives of resident doctors and JOHESU welcomed the governor’s interventions but called for sustained implementation of professional allowance structures for resident doctors and allied health workers.

The meeting was attended by the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde; Head of Service, Dr Adenike Fashina; and other government officials, hospital administrators and labour representatives.