The Arole Oodua and Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has pacified staff members of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife who were recently disengaged by the hospital management with whopping ten million and one thousand bags of rice.
This is to ameliorate the suffering occasioned by the non-payment of their 11-month outstanding salaries.
Ogunwusi who announced the donation while addressing the angry youths who occupied his Ile Oodua Palace on Monday, assured them that he is currently working with relevant stakeholders including the Federal Ministry of Health among others to resolve the crisis.
He said, “It is your right to protest if you feel an injustice has been done to you all, but I want you to apply wisdom to achieve beneficial results. I am dedicating myself and the ancient throne of Oduduwa to fight this fight to a logical conclusion.
“I am happy that you all have demonstrated the core Omoluabi ethos of descendants of Oduduwa by allowing operations to resume at the hospital upon receiving my message. You have honoured me and I pray that God will honour you all.
“Beyond that, I wish to assure you that the Palace will support your dreams and aspirations in life even beyond the OAUTHC. I believe that most of you have big dreams and you are only looking for how to achieve them but I am calling on you all to use me as a ladder to reach your peak in life.”
Speaking on behalf of the disengaged workers, Mr Samson Falope, said that the hospital Management served them a circular last week Wednesday, 31st January 2024, disengaging over 1,500 workers from their duty posts, after serving the institution for about 15 months with most of them not getting paid a dime.
On their move to create awareness about their predicament, Falope explained that they were left with no choice but to converge at the hospital complex main gate on Thursday, 1st February 2024, to seek the audience with the Management but the Chief Medical Director of OAUTHC, Professor John Okeniyi, and his team did not show up.
Samson, an estate officer II of the Civil and Maintenance department, lamented that they were taken through all recruitment and verification processes after which they were issued the required documents with which they have been working since 2022.
He said, “Kabiyesi you have wiped our tears and we pray that God Almighty perfect all your affairs, sir. We cannot thank you enough especially as these people (OAUTHC Management) almost turned us into a nuisance after using us for about 15 months without pay.
“We were interviewed, screened, taken through orientation programs organized by the management, oath form was given to them, appointment letter was given to them, they had resumed their duties, observing both day and night shifts, only to be told to go home after serving with all we have for about 15 months.
“Our children are out of school because we can no longer pay their school fees, we have aged parents at home, nobody to take care of them, we do not know where to start again, so, we have no other choice than to embark on a peaceful protest, shutting the main gate of the hospital complex but allowing emergencies to enter the hospital for immediate treatments .”
There was palpable tension at the premises of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC) as armed policemen invaded the area and chased away protesters.
Several workers in the hospital had gathered at the hospital in protest against their disengagement by the hospital management over alleged job racketeering and illegal recruitment by some senior staff of the health institution.
At least no fewer than 1,500 workers were laid off even as the management of the hospital admitted culpability in the alleged fraudulent employment.
According to the management, an investigation revealed that some now suspended top management staff had to sleep with some female workers before issuing them employment letters while others bought the jobs.
Angered by their sack, the workers mobilised and shut the hospital’s main gates in protest last week Thursday, denying the allegations of job racketeering leveled against them.
The protesters had threatened to frustrate activities in the hospital indefinitely if the management failed to reverse its decision.
Meanwhile, as the industrial action entered its 5th day on Monday, some armed policemen stormed the protest ground, shot into the air sporadically, and chased away the protesters who were armed with placards.
The security personnel forced the shut gates open and stationed their patrol vehicles at the gates to prevent further protest.
It was learned that some of the affected workers took to their heels upon hearing gunshots while others summoned the courage to loiter as the policemen took over the arena.
