Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has gifted disengaged staff members of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTHC) in Ile-Ife the sum of N10 million and 1,000 bags of rice.
The monarch announced the donation while addressing the angry youths who thronged his palace on Monday in Ile-Ife.
He assured them that he is currently working with relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health among others, to resolve the crisis.
“It is your right to fight and agitate because injustice has been done to you all, but I want you to apply wisdom in order to achieve beneficial results,” he said.
“I am dedicating myself and the ancient throne of Oduduwa to fight this fight to a logical conclusion, You have honoured me and I pray that God will honour you all.
“I am happy that you all have demonstrated core Omoluabi ethos of the descendants of Oduduwa by allowing operations to resume at the hospital upon receiving my message.
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“Beyond that, I wish to assure you that the Palace will support your dreams and aspirations in life even beyond the OAUTHC.”
Speaking on behalf of the disengaged workers, Samson Falope commended the Ooni for his intervention.
Falope revealed that the hospital management served them a disengagement circular on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.
He explained further that the hospital authorities, through the circular, disengaged over 1,500 workers, some of whom had served the institution for about 15 months with most of them not getting paid a dime.
One of the victims stated further that they converged in order to seek audience with the management, but the chief medical director of OAUTHC, Prof. John Okeniyi, and his team did not show up.