FG Moves To End Workers Strike At FUTA Teaching Hospital

By Ayodele Oni

Following the unending workers strike at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) Teaching Hospital, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has moved to resolve the lingering industrial dispute.

A delegation from the Federal Ministry of health is due, to engage the leadership of organised labour in Ondo State.

The intervention is aimed at addressing the issues responsible for the recurring disruption of services at the hospital and restoring industrial harmony to ensure uninterrupted healthcare delivery.

In a letter signed on behalf of the Permanent Secretary by the Deputy Director, RLDO, Mr Festus Igbinosun, the Ministry informed the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Ondo State Chapter, that a delegation would visit the hospital on Friday.

The meeting, scheduled to hold at the Boardroom of the FUTA Teaching Hospital, follows a report submitted by the hospital management to the Ministry on the recurring industrial actions and other issues affecting the smooth running of the facility.

The Ministry’s intervention comes shortly after the completion of the Federal Government’s transition programme for the former University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) Teaching Hospital, Akure, which has now become the FUTA Teaching Hospital.

The transition process included the biometric capture of eligible staff selected for absorption into the approved Nominal Roll, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ondo State Government and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on October 23, 2025.

The staff absorption exercise was conducted in accordance with Article 5 (5.1.3) of the MoU, which stipulates that only eligible officers of the former hospital would be absorbed into the Federal Civil Service.

A comprehensive staff verification exercise was conducted between December 8 and 12, 2025, by an inter-ministerial committee comprising officials from the Federal Ministries of Health and Finance, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Following the verification, the list of eligible officers was further scrutinised based on established Public Service guidelines, including age requirements, qualifications, previous service records, the approved organisational structure for Federal Teaching Hospitals and the prescribed clinical-to-non-clinical staff ratio.

It was gathered that 265 members of staff of the former hospital were found ineligible for absorption into the Federal Civil Service and were recommended to the Ondo State Government for redeployment into the State Civil Service.

To conclude the transition process, biometric capture for payroll enrolment under the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) was conducted in Akure between June 8 and 13, 2026, while a mop-up exercise was held in Abuja from July 9 to 13 for officers who were unable to participate in the earlier exercise.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, expressed appreciation to the Ondo State Government and the people of the state for their cooperation and support throughout the transition process.

Pate described the successful completion of the takeover as a product of mutual understanding and collaboration between the Federal and Ondo State governments.