Academic activities have been paralysed for over three months at the College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, leaving hundreds of medical students stranded.
The industrial action by medical lecturers, which has entered its 102nd day, was triggered by disputes over unpaid allowances and the non-implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
The strike has halted clinical training and left students uncertain about their academic future.
In a statement titled “Stranded: Why LAUTECH Medical Students Are Crying Out,” the students appealed to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Vice-Chancellor Prof. Razaq Olatunde Kalilu to intervene and end the crisis.
“It’s been over 100 days since our last class. We are tired of waiting,” the statement read. “We are not interested in theatrics; we just want to resume and continue our training.”
The students recalled that the university management had earlier promised that classes would resume immediately after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) ended its national strike, a pledge they now describe as unfulfilled.
They warned that the prolonged closure could threaten the accreditation of LAUTECH’s medical programme and tarnish the institution’s reputation.
Although the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital has resumed partial operations following earlier intervention by the state government, students said lectures have yet to restart and no resumption date has been announced.
Their frustration has sparked sympathy on social media, where hashtags such as #SaveLAUTECHMedStudents and #LAUTECH100DaysOutOfSchool have trended for days, drawing public attention to their plight.
A final-year medical student wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I’m counting down to graduation after eight years, yet we’ve been at home for over 100 days without any hope of resumption. This is heartbreaking.”
Another student lamented: “I resumed LAUTECH Medical School six years ago. Six years later, I’m still in 400 level with no idea when I’ll graduate.”
Despite the growing outcry, neither the university management nor the Oyo State Government has provided a clear timeline for resolving the impasse.
“Save us. Help us appeal to the authorities. We just want to resume. That’s all,” the students pleaded.
The protracted shutdown of LAUTECH’s College of Medicine underscores the recurring crisis in Nigeria’s tertiary education system. Swift and decisive intervention is needed to restore academic activities and protect the future of the country’s next generation of doctors.
