Doctors at FUHSTHO Begin Indefinite Strike Over Unpaid Salaries, Expose Alleged Corruption by Past Leadership

Doctors at FUHSTHO Begin Indefinite Strike Over Unpaid Salaries, Expose Alleged Corruption by Past Leadership

Otukpo, Benue State Medical doctors and consultants at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSTHO), Benue State, have commenced an indefinite strike to protest the non-payment of eight months’ salary arrears, effectively bringing activities at the university’s teaching hospital to a halt.

The industrial action has deepened the crisis at FUHSTHO, Nigeria’s pioneer health sciences university, amid allegations of long-standing mismanagement and corruption under previous administrations.

Hospital insiders attribute the current breakdown to what they describe as “years of systemic rot” allegedly perpetrated by former Vice Chancellor, Professor Innocent Ujah, and former Chief Medical Director, Professor Silas Ochejile—both of whom are from the Idoma ethnic group in Benue South.

“This university has been in shambles from the very foundation. And ironically, it is our own people, Idoma professors, who are destroying it,” lamented a hospital staff member who spoke under anonymity.

Staff accused Professor Ujah of presiding over a weak and allegedly corrupt administration, while Professor Ochejile’s tenure was marked by job racketeering, inflated contracts, and widespread financial mismanagement.

“Under Professor Ochejile, doctors had no proper offices, no furniture, and the pharmacy couldn’t even stock paracetamol, yet the hospital received billions in its budget,” another staffer revealed.

The striking workers say the situation remains dire even under the current Chief Medical Director, Professor Teddy Agida, who is reportedly overwhelmed by the scale of inherited problems.

“He met an empty treasury and is struggling to raise funds to clear debts and initiate necessary renovations,” said one source.

With the indefinite strike now in effect, patients have been turned away, operations suspended, and the fate of students and surrounding communities left uncertain.

Calls are mounting for the federal government to intervene urgently—not just to address the unpaid salaries but also to probe the alleged corruption and mismanagement that have crippled the institution.

FUHSO was established to improve healthcare access and provide job opportunities in Benue and beyond, but staff say the dream is fast becoming a tragedy.