LAUTECH CRISIS: MEDICAL STUDENTS CRY OUT TO JONATHAN

Final year medical students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (LAUTECHTH), Osogbo, have cried out to President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the simmering crisis rocking the institution.

Their call came on the heel of the mass exodus of staff of the teaching hospital in response to the directive of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State that natives of the state working at the teaching hospital should return home.

Already, the students have been asked to proceed on a six-week compulsory break to enable the government and university authority plan on how to rectify the situation.

In a Save-our-Soul protest march to media offices in Osogbo yesterday, the students also called on the governors of the two owner-states, Alao-Akala and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and other stakeholders of the institution to give peace a chance and be mindful of their future.

Class representatives of the medical students, Messrs Paul Akano and Adetunji Tajudeen, lamented that their class had wasted enough time to be bogged down again by the ownership crisis rocking the institution. The duo stated that their set had spent over 10 years so far for the medical programme, which ordinarily should take six years.

'We all know that Ladoke Akintola University of Technology is co-owned by the Oyo and Osun States and any decision taken by any of these states consequently affects the students of the institution. The recent decision by Oyo State that students and staff from the state should report to Ogbomoso and start afresh is disturbing. Activities at the school today were affected because of that decision.

'The present final year students have spent not less than 10 years in the medical school instead of the normal six years. This set has been victimized by various activities that have slowed down our academic activities. This set of students has just 25 days to their final examination and completion of their programme. Now, this problem is coming up again.

'We appeal to all concerned people; Oyo and Osun states governors and every stakeholder in the institution. We want them to give us protection; we want them to, please for God's sake and for the sake of our parents look critically at this issue. We don't know what will be the outcome of this problem. We have suffered enough as medical students and that is why we are making this strong appeal', they stated.

Meanwhile, former President, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr. Oludare Ogunlana, has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan to 'intervene on this issue and put an end to this madness once and for all'.

In the petition, copy of which was made available to Daily Sun in Osogbo yesterday, Ogunlana stated that Governor. Alao-Akala lacked moral justification to solely pull out of LAUTECH when he could not pay teachers' salary in his state.

'It is no doubt, that the principle behind this fight is nothing other than greed, ego and mega corruption from both sides. It saddens our heart that both states are neighbours; both governors are friends and members of the same Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP).