“Our Six-Year Course Has Become Nine” — LAUTECH Medical Students Cry to Makinde

Medical students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, have called on Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently intervene in the prolonged crisis at the university’s Teaching Hospital, warning that their academic training has been crippled by repeated strikes.

In an open letter to the governor, signed by “A Concerned Student of Medicine and Surgery,” the students lamented that their six-year program has dragged into its ninth year due to disruptions ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to protracted industrial actions by staff unions.

According to them, the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital—once regarded as a pride of Ogbomoso—is now losing public confidence as consultants, nurses, and resident doctors have consistently downed tools over unresolved grievances. The students noted that since August, consultants have withdrawn teaching services, leaving them stranded in their clinical training.

“Without a functional hospital, we cannot learn. Each lost day pushes our dreams further away,” the letter read, citing poor pay, overwork, and unpaid allowances as the root causes of the crisis.

While commending Governor Makinde for previous interventions—such as clearing salary arrears, reducing tuition fees, and securing accreditation for critical programs—the students warned that the ongoing paralysis could erode those gains if swift action is not taken.

“Your Excellency, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital is the only tertiary health institution solely owned by Oyo State. Its collapse would stain the great reputation of your administration. Please, do not let our years of training elongate into despair,” the appeal added.

They urged the governor to use his office to mediate between the management and striking workers, restore academic activities, and save their future from indefinite delay.