In a dramatic and decisive response to escalating tensions at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso, Governor Seyi Makinde today visited the facility to engage directly with health workers and frontline staff. The tour followed days of mounting unrest over unpaid wages, delayed promotions, and general neglect of welfare. In the presence of union representatives, staff leaders, and hospital management, the governor made a series of commitments aimed at forestalling further industrial action and stabilizing operations. What emerged was a bold action plan, with both immediate relief measures and longer-term institutional reforms.
1. Context: Health Workers’ Agitations Reach Boiling Point
The LAUTECH Teaching Hospital had been teetering on the edge of collapse. Resident doctors had launched an indefinite strike in August 2025, citing unmet demands over unpaid minimum wage, stubborn arrears, and inadequate infrastructure — a situation that severely disrupted hospital operations. Meanwhile, nurses and midwives later issued a 15-day ultimatum over welfare neglect, exclusion from newly approved state-level benefits, and slow disbursement of COVID-19 and hazard allowances.
Against this backdrop, many stakeholders feared a full institutional shutdown. The Nigerian Medical Association has warned that the hospital’s survival is under threat unless bold intervention is swiftly delivered. With patient lives and public trust on the line, the governor’s visit came at a critically important moment.
2. What We Heard: Staff Grievances, Institutional Shortfalls
During the visit, health workers, union leaders (including JOHESU and nursing associations), and hospital management laid out a litany of demands and pain points:
Delayed and unpaid promotion arrears spanning 2018 to 2024 — a moral and financial burden weighing heavily on many staff.
Non-payment or partial payment of minimum wage arrears for January to August 2025, even where new wage policies have been approved elsewhere.
Exclusion from state-wide welfare packages, allowances, and hazard pay — especially for LAUTECH nurses, who claimed they were unfairly sidelined.
Poor institutional governance: absence of a functioning Governing Council, weak oversight, and disjointed administrative coordination.
Security and staffing deficits, including 65 non-staff security agents working informally without integration or regular remuneration.
Incomplete infrastructure, notably the unfinished LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Annex in Oyo State, which staff believe would ease pressure and expand capacity.
Pending salary structure reviews and demands from nursing students, which staff said must be addressed in bulk, not piecemeal.
It was evident from these engagements that staff morale was severely eroded; many felt abandoned despite the hospital’s central role in regional health referral systems.
3. Governor Makinde’s Promise Package: Bold Moves, Tight Deadlines
In response to the grievances, Governor Makinde laid out a multi-pronged strategy — combining immediate relief with structural reforms. His commitments include:
a) Constitute a Governing Council by week’s end
He pledged that before the close of this week, a fully empowered Governing Council will be installed. This body will receive clear mandates and accountability structures to ensure they can act decisively on unresolved demands.
b) Boost subvention and formalize security staff pay
The monthly subvention to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital will be increased by ₦35 million, a move intended to provide immediate cash flow relief for operations.
In addition, 65 non-staff security personnel will begin receiving a ₦80,000 monthly stipend each. These security agents will be integrated formally into the hospital system as ad hoc staff, to regularize their status and ensure institutional accountability.
c) Complete Oyo Annex before administration ends
The long-stalled LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Annex in Oyo State will be fast-tracked to ensure completion before the end of Governor Makinde’s tenure (2027). The governor described this as a legacy infrastructure commitment.
d) Pay promotion and wage arrears in installments
Promotion arrears (2018–2024): To be disbursed in three equal tranches during October, November, and December 2025.
Minimum wage arrears (January–August 2025): Also to be cleared in three equal instalments over the same period (Oct–Dec 2025).
e) Future demands deferred to new Governing Council
Governor Makinde acknowledged that some items — such as comprehensive salary structure review and student-related demands — would be channeled through the newly constituted Council for deliberation and action.
In his remarks, he noted that solving institutional challenges is not a one-time act but a continuous process. He urged workers to see the new reforms as a fresh start and to support the incoming Council with goodwill.
4. Critical Takeaways, Risks, and Watchpoints
✅ Strengths and Opportunities
The governor’s visit underscores high-level political will, a critical factor in resolving intractable institutional issues.
The staggered payment plan for arrears is practical and offers realistic relief within budget constraints.
Integrating the security staff as formal ad hoc employees helps regularize and protect personnel who often exist in the margins.
The firm timeline for the Governing Council demonstrates seriousness in structural reform.
Completion of the Oyo Annex promises to decongest Ogbomoso operations and expand service delivery capacity.
⚠️ Risks and Possible Pitfalls
Implementation credibility: Without transparent monitoring, promised disbursements may lag.
Budgetary pressure: The increases and staggered payments must be accommodated within fiscal realities; competing demands may jeopardize follow-through.
Council independence: If the upcoming Governing Council lacks real autonomy or succumbs to political interference, many systemic issues may persist.
Staff trust deficit: After years of broken promises and exclusion, many workers may remain skeptical until tangible changes materialize.
5. Conclusion: A Critical Opportunity — Now or Never
Today’s visit was more than a photo-op. It was a moment of accountability and risk. For health workers and patients alike, the governor’s pledges represent hope — hope that the hospital can be rescued from chronic neglect, that ground-level welfare issues can be resolved, and that governance structures will finally mature.
Yet, promises alone are not enough. The coming weeks will determine whether these commitments translate into transformative change or become another round of unfulfilled assurances. For the patients who rely on LAUTECH’s services — mothers in labor, emergencies in flux, learners on clinical rotations — failure is not an option.
I remain resolute: I witnessed the grievances, and I will pursue every promise. The people of Ogbomoso, Oyo, and the entire health-seeking public deserve nothing less.
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