Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has approved an increase in the monthly salary of cleaners at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, from ₦15,000 to ₦80,000.

The governor announced the decision during a meeting with stakeholders at the teaching hospital on Thursday.

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According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the salary adjustment followed an appeal by the cleaners during Makinde’s visit to the facility.

“Governor Makinde approved an increase in the monthly salary of cleaners at the Teaching Hospital from ₦15,000 to ₦80,000, aligning their pay with the national minimum wage,” the statement said.

The new salary represents more than a fivefold increase for the workers and is expected to bring their earnings in line with the national minimum wage.

The governor also appealed to striking hospital workers to suspend their industrial action and allow his administration to address their grievances through dialogue.

Makinde said his administration was willing to engage with the workers to find solutions to the challenges confronting the health sector.

“Initially, I didn’t want to respond to those who are on strike. But if there are challenges, we must find ways to solve them,” he said.

He urged the workers to call off the strike, assuring them that discussions could continue once normal operations resumed.

“You put this government in place. The first step is for you to call off the strike, and once you assure me of that, we can move forward. This is our state; how we lay our bed is how we will lie on it,” the governor added.

The Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, commended Makinde for his support for the state’s health sector.

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She also assured health workers that the administration remained committed to addressing the recurring industrial disputes affecting healthcare services in the state.