It’s as if the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso Oyo state is orchestrated to fail despite the huge resources its construction gulped and the billions in equipment. Its builder late Governor Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala envisioned a thriving tertiary health institution hence the humongous commitment. However, his failed second term bid denied the hospital the necessary strong footing at takeoff and the taking over of the rein of governance at the state level by his successor late Senator Abiola Ajimobi almost grounded the hospital as due to political reasons he criminally neglected the institution.
Engr Seyi Makinde who assumed leadership after Senator Ajimobi did far better re-absorbing many wrongfully sacked staff and increasing the subvention. However, it has now appeared his efforts are inadequate too going by the recent outcry of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD).
According to the association many are the plagues of the hospital painting a picture of gloom and looming doom. “We respectfully write to draw your attention to the imminent collapse of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, a critical pillar of healthcare delivery and medical education in Oyo State,’ it is stated emphatically in a letter signed by the President of the association, Dr. Stephen Adedokun, and the General Secretary, Dr. Adedapo Mustapha, titled, “Open letter to His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde: An urgent appeal to prevent the collapse of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.”
In a few months it is forecasted the health centre will pack up if nothing urgent is done to resolve the issues which basically are not unconnected with funding. The letter unfurled a gripping scenario: massive staff exodus due to poor remuneration, and lack of government support as part of the chaos ruining its operation.
Described “as the only multispecialty tertiary institution owned by the state,” and serving “as a referral centre for all 33 local government areas as well as neighbouring states,” it is said to play vital and “indispensable role in training undergraduate students in Medicine, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, and other allied health disciplines, alongside postgraduate training in diverse specialities.”
It lamented, “Regrettably, our institution is on the verge of dysfunction owing to an alarming dwindling workforce. The root causes include poor remuneration, insufficient subvention, and a lack of incentives to attract or retain staff.
“Currently, our personnel earn salaries approximately 30 per cent lower than colleagues employed directly by the state government, despite performing equally demanding roles.
“The exodus of staff, most notably resident doctors, has reached critical levels. From a peak of nearly 270 at the hospital’s inception, we now have fewer than 65. Many have left for better-paying opportunities overseas or within Nigeria, including nearby institutions. Each week brings fresh resignation letters, compounding the strain on an already overstretched workforce.
“Disturbingly, some core clinical departments are operating without junior registrars. Senior registrars preparing for their Part II fellowship examinations are frequently forced to be first-call duty doctors, with repeated calls weekly.
“In another department, the number of consultants now exceeds the number of resident doctors, with only one junior registrar available. Each of the four departments in Laboratory Medicine currently operates with only one resident, resulting in daily on-call duties for each resident across the departments,” the doctors said.
The doctors highlighted severe burnout among the few remaining staff, compromised patient care, and a deteriorating training environment.
“This unsustainable situation has led to severe staff burnout, compromised patient care, and a deteriorating training environment. Without urgent intervention, residency training in the hospital is at serious risk of collapse.
“Attracting new talent has become virtually impossible, especially given that LAUTECH Teaching Hospital now offers one of the lowest salary packages nationally,” the doctors emphasised.
Adding to the crisis, the doctors said the government has failed to implement the new minimum wage package approved in January 2025.
“Central to this crisis is the non-implementation of the new minimum wage package signed into law by your administration in January 2025. While the package has been implemented for other health workers directly employed by the state, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital – operating on subvention-has not received the necessary increment to comply.
“Furthermore, the Medical Residency Training Fund remains unpaid, and the domestication of the enabling Act has been delayed since its first hearing in November 2021.
“We appeal to Your Excellency and all well-meaning Nigerians to intervene decisively. The people of Oyo State, whose health and well-being depend on the services we provide, deserve a functional and empowered tertiary health facility.”
In the face of this impending doom, it is indeed time the Federal Government took over the institution. LAUTECH Teaching Hospital serves not only Oyo state indigenes but Nigerians as a whole. The Federal Government is the big brother, looking on while such invaluable facility goes down will be a disaster since it appears the state government is at its wit end concerning the hospital.
I am even of the view that its takeover by the Federal Government will be highly justified because of the personality the institution is named after, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola GCON, who was the second and last Premier of the defunct flourishing Western Region. This is why. Late Akintola who also served with distinction at the federal level was also a leading figure in the fight for Nigeria’s independence. In fact, it is reported he attended all Constitutional Amendment Conferences to birth an Independent Nigeria. All his contemporaries like late Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, Chief Michael Okpara, Alvan Ikoku and others all have federal universities named in their honour. Only Akintola is yet to be accorded that honour and he most deserves it taking cognisance of his patriotic sacrifices for the country. He even paid the supreme sacrifice so that the country could survive and evolve. Moreover, his model for governance at the national level (for which he was assassinated) is what is elevated and embraced today. Thus, the Federal Government acquiring LAUTECH will serve two purposes – deserved and appropriate honour to a worthy Nigerian and rescuing a dying legacy of inestimable value – LAUTECH Teaching Hospital – from collapse.
Here is a list of Akintola’s contemporaries who have federal universities named after them: (1) Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (2) Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (3) Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (4) Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (6) Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike and (7) Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri. Tai Solarin College of Education Ijebu Ode in Ogun state, is a state owned institution taken over by the Federal Government. Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa, Delta state, was a private university founded through a partnership between Navy Holdings Limited and Hellenic Education of Nigeria in 2017, but became a federal university through an Act assented to by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
If state and private universities have transitioned into federal universities, LAUTECH transforming into one will not be an unprecedented thing. Moreover, when we consider only late Samuel Ladoke Akintola is the only founding father of Nigeria who was named after state government institution. This is someone who is unique, looking at his trajectory he is the only one who served exceptionally in the Western House of Assembly as a Legislator, and as Premier and at the National Parliament as Legislator, Leader of Opposition and as Federal Commissioner (Minister) in different Ministries. He served at the highest level before and after independence, transitioning between Western and Federal milieu. It is thus not strange to his personality if the institution named after him by his state gets converted to a federally owned one it is in consonance with his life trajectory.
It is therefore plausible and feasible, it’s the right direction, let President Bola Tinubu act in consonance with correctness and in the best interest of the people he leads and help put a university he once served as Chancellor in a higher pedestal of academic excellence. LAUTECH is a thriving institution consistently being named the best state university in the country, if it transitions into a federal university, greater amazing exploits will be wrought.
Let this be considered to rescue the institution.
