LAUTECH: ERC Supports Protest of Medical Students over Closure of Medical School

University Management and Oyo State Government Must Immediately Meet Demands of Striking Clinical Lecturers

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) supports the protest by medical students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State over the continued closure of their medical school since August 1, 2025 as a result of an indefinite strike by the clinical lecturers of the university. The students held a protest daily for three days from Tuesday November 4 to Thursday November 6 and promised to resume action on Monday November 10, if their demand for an immediate resumption, after over 100 days out of class and medical training, is not met by the university management.

We hereby call on the university administration, led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rasaq Kalilu, who has so far appeared irresponsible and nonchalant to the plight of the students to immediately meet the legitimate demands of the lecturers so that medical education can resume in the university.

We also hold strongly that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde cannot feign ignorance of this situation in the state only owned medical school. Therefore, we urge him to immediately intervene on the crisis as the buck, in the final analysis, stops with him.

The clinical lecturers under the auspices of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) and the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) have embarked on the strike to press home their demand for the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS). The university was said to have ignored a 21-day ultimatum and correspondence from the lecturers and therefore forced them to go on an indefinite strike.

We recall that medical lecturers in all public universities running medical and dental programme in Southwest Nigeria went on strike in February over the salary structure which is reportedly meant to arrest brain drain and setbacks in medical education. Sadly, LAUTECH is said to be the only university in the region which has not begun to implement the salary structure. We consider this incongruous and unacceptable given that LAUTECH is at present one of the most expensive public universities in Nigeria and indeed to study medicine. A fresh student admitted into medicine and therefore still at just the pre-medical level can spend as ridiculously high as over N900,000 on tuition and sundry fees including fraudulently hidden charges. And these exclude a high cost of accommodation off campus.

So, it is sad that the medical students who are the cash cows of the university have had their academic years unduly elongated because of the gross irresponsibility of the university management and the state government, something which accounts for incessant strikes by medical doctors in the university and its teaching hospital. Indeed, at some of the levels in the medical school of the university there are two sets of students admitted in different years. As the old set has not progressed, the new one gets stuck.  This is a terrible state of things in the university, yet the authorities and state government do not appear to give a damn.

We call for adequate funding of LAUTECH and the teaching hospital as well as other state-owned higher institutions by the government. We hold that this should not be a problem for a government which is spending humongous amounts of money on prestige projects such as over N63billion on the renovation of the State House.  At the same time, we demand a probe of the management of the finances of LAUTECH including government grants and the internal generated revenues.  Also importantly, we call for democratic management of the finances of the university involving elected representatives of academic and non-academic staffs and students in order cut wastages and ensure judicious use of its revenue. Moreover, for some years, students’ union has been banned in the university. We call for the restoration of students’ union which must be independent and run democratically.

We call on trade unions, medical associations, media, civil society organisations, students and youth groups, parents, alumni and people of good conscience to support the struggle of the protesting LAUTECH medical students and prevail on the university management and Oyo state government to meet the demands of the striking clinical lecturers so that students who have spent over 100 days at home can resume classes and medical training.

Ogunjimi Isaac

Deputy National Coordinator

Adaramoye Michael Lenin

National Mobilisation Officer

Email: [email protected]