OAU clinical lecturers begin strike February over non-implementation of CONMESS 

The leadership of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has directed its members to begin industrial action starting Monday, February 3, 2025.

OAU MDCAN said the impending strike was in line with the directive of the association’s South-West zone which ordered clinical lecturers to shun duties following the refusal by the Vice Chancellors in three Federal universities in the region to place the lecturers on the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale as obtained in other medical colleges in Nigerian universities.

The association noted this in a statement signed by OAU MDCAN Chairman, Dr Olufemi Ogundipe, and the General Secretary, Dr Tajudin Adetunji; a copy of which was obtained in Osogbo on Thursday.

It explained that “the strike notice was preceded by a 21-day ultimatum given to the Vice Chancellors of the affected universities in the zone.”

MDCAN further said that during the strike, “all academic activities at the College of Health Sciences in OAU, involving clinical lecturers would be on hold,” adding that “its members could no longer tolerate huge disparity in emoluments and several years of income loss due to non-implementation of CONMESS in the university.”

“We are demanding the immediate payment of CONMESS to all clinical lecturers in OAU to save the future of medical education in the foremost citadel of learning,” the statement partly read.

A consultant working in OAUTH, who preferred to remain anonymous to avoid victimisation, told our correspondent that it may coincide with the commencement of the final-year examinations of Dental students already scheduled for Monday.

“The Dental final-year examination will commence on Monday and will be badly affected by the strike if urgent measures are not taken to avert it. Other professional exams scheduled to be held in February may also be in jeopardy.

“Our resolve as an association is to go ahead with the strike. And with that position, the effects on students’ examination and other academic activities exercise is better imagined than experienced,” he stated.

When contacted for a reaction, the OAU Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the VC, Prof Simeon Bamire was not available but promised to relate with him on the matter.

Olanrewaju, however, said the VC would not have deliberately denied workers their rights.

“In the first instance, the VC is not around. It’s a thing I will find out from the Vice-Chancellor himself and I know the appropriate organ of the university must have been put on notice concerning this.

“Our VC is people-friendly, and prioritises the welfare of staff and students, and I don’t think the VC will deliberately not want to implement CONMESS. Let’s see how the event unfolds because we will not deliberately do financial injustice to those who are due for it.”