A coalition of youth organisations in Iseyin has petitioned Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, demanding urgent autonomy for the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Iseyin campus, alleging neglect, marginalisation, and deliberate sabotage by the main campus in Ogbomoso.
In an open letter signed by Qs Babajide Oniyo, President of the Council of Iseyin Youths Organisations, and co-signed by 10 major youth bodies in the town, the groups warned that the campus is facing an “existential crisis” capable of destroying the future of hundreds of students if the state government fails to intervene immediately.
According to the petition, since the campus was established in 2021, it has suffered “inadequate infrastructure, lack of teaching resources, and unwillingness of lecturers to relocate to Iseyin,” forcing students to frequently travel to Ogbomoso for practicals and academic activities.
The youths alleged that lecturers from the main campus have continued to frustrate the development of the Iseyin facility and even visited recently to “lure students into further protests aimed at pushing for a return to Ogbomoso.”
They also accused the main campus management of starving Iseyin of opportunities for research and practical training, particularly citing the collapse of the 20 proposed farm units, including poultry and piggery, due to abandonment and lack of use.
“Some of the little farm units that existed were left to become bushy and moribund,” the letter said, adding that private farmers in Iseyin who offered their facilities for student research “were shut out by the university’s management.”
The petitioners expressed concern that 400-level and 500-level students in key departments such as Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology have been instructed to return to Ogbomoso to carry out their final-year projects, allegedly on lecturers’ private farms, which they described as “a clear indication of selfishness and lack of faith in the Iseyin campus.”
They warned that the continued marginalisation could lead to loss of students, staff, and the community’s confidence in the institution.
The groups urged Governor Makinde to take the following actions:
- Grant immediate autonomy to LAUTECH Iseyin campus.
- Establish a separate management structure with its own Vice-Chancellor.
- Appoint lecturers willing to reside and work in Iseyin.
- Ensure fair budgetary allocation to the campus.
- Allow the Iseyin campus to develop its own curriculum suited to local needs.
The letter acknowledged the efforts of local stakeholders and the special committee set up to support the campus but said their work was being “strangulated by base management.”
T“We need your leadership, Your Excellency… We need autonomy, and we need it now,” the youths wrote.
Copies of the petition were sent to the governor, the Oyo State Government, and the public feedback channels of the state.
