The statement released by the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation on the ongoing industrial issues in Oyo State is a pedestrian attempt to exploit legitimate concerns for partisan political advantage. It is particularly disturbing that individuals whose party presided over many of the challenges Governor Seyi Makinde inherited now seek to lecture this administration on workers’ welfare, healthcare and education. Rather than contribute constructively to resolving the issues, Senator Alli and his organisation have once again chosen the familiar path of distortion, selective amnesia and political opportunism.
For the record, Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration remains fully committed to resolving all outstanding issues through constructive engagement with the affected unions. Committees have been constituted, discussions are ongoing through established channels, and the government remains confident that mutually beneficial solutions will be reached in the interest of workers, students and the good people of Oyo State.
Indeed, since December 27, 2023, the Oyo State Government has consistently provided the financial backing required for the implementation of the allowances and welfare provisions contained in the circulars that are now at the centre of the industrial dispute involving members of the Association of Medical and Dental Officers (AMDO).
These provisions include skipping allowance, the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), responsibility allowance, rural posting allowance and in-service training with pay.
These are neither policy pronouncements nor campaign promises. They are concrete financial commitments that this administration has funded and sustained over the years.
In fact, the government’s investment in the professional development of healthcare personnel continues to yield positive results. One of the doctors sponsored by the state have consistently excelled in professional examinations. Most recently, one of the doctors from Oyo State recorded the best combined Part I and Part II results in the Faculty of Family Medicine at the September 2026 National Postgraduate Medical College examinations. This is evidence of an administration that understands that investing in healthcare professionals is ultimately an investment in the health and wellbeing of its citizens.
The current dispute, therefore, is not about a refusal by government to recognise or support doctors’ entitlements. The financial implications of the relevant circulars have been consistently backed by the state government since December 2023.
What is surprising, however, is the attempt by Senator Alli and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to present themselves as champions of workers’ welfare and educational development. Oyo people have not forgotten recent history.
The same APC, on whose platform Senator Alli now pursues his doomed governorship ambition, presided over a period marked by recurring labour disputes, welfare concerns and unresolved institutional challenges across key sectors. Workers repeatedly raised concerns about entitlements, working conditions and their general welfare, while relations between government and organised labour were often strained.
Even more ironic is Senator Alli’s attempt to speak for LAUTECH. Under the APC administration, despite the current President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being the University Chancellor, LAUTECH became synonymous with uncertainty, prolonged disruptions and an unresolved ownership crisis that left students and parents anxious about the institution’s future and uncertain about when many students would complete their programmes. Rather than confront these challenges decisively, that administration allowed them to fester for years.
Governor Makinde inherited that crisis and resolved it. His administration took the bold decision to end the ownership dispute, restore stability to the university and reposition LAUTECH as one of the leading state-owned institutions in Nigeria. Those who failed to solve the problems of yesterday cannot credibly claim to be the custodians of the solutions today.
Equally misleading is the suggestion that Governor Makinde is absent from governance. Governance is not conducted through media headlines or political grandstanding. The business of government continues through institutions, ministries and established engagement mechanisms that are actively addressing the concerns raised by doctors and lecturers.
The governor’s record on workers’ welfare speaks for itself. Since 2019, salaries have been paid consistently, pension obligations have received unprecedented attention, promotions have been implemented, and workers have continued to benefit from policies designed to improve their welfare and productivity. These are verifiable facts, not campaign promises.
It is therefore curious that Senator Alli has chosen to make promises about prompt payment of salaries and allowances. Oyo workers do not need promises; they can judge administrations by their records. They know the difference between an administration that inherited complex challenges and confronted them and those that left many of those challenges unresolved.
The attempt to portray Governor Makinde’s engagements outside the state as evidence of neglect is equally dishonest. A governor’s commitment to governance is measured not by his physical location at every moment but by the strength of the institutions he has built, the responsiveness of his administration and the results it delivers. The facts on the ground in Oyo State speak louder than the rhetoric of the opposition.
Governor Seyi Makinde remains focused on governance, committed to the welfare of workers and determined to ensure that the ongoing issues are resolved in a manner that protects the interests of all stakeholders and the people of Oyo State.
The facts remain unchanged: the Makinde administration rescued LAUTECH, strengthened public institutions, prioritised workers’ welfare and continues to engage responsibly with all stakeholders. No amount of political rhetoric can rewrite that record.
