LAUTECH nurses, midwives embark on indefinite strike over wage, welfare concerns

Nurses and midwives at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, have commenced an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage and unresolved welfare issues.

The industrial action, which took effect on Friday, September 19, 2025, was declared by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Unit, following the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued to the hospital management.

In a statement jointly signed by the Unit Chairman, Comrade Ojewumi Olutayo, and Secretary, Comrade Adedokun Foluwake, the association lamented that repeated engagements and reminders had yielded no meaningful response.

According to the union, workers at the institution have long suffered systemic neglect, with their welfare consistently overlooked compared to colleagues in other Oyo State-owned health facilities who already enjoy improved packages.

The striking workers listed their demands to include: immediate implementation of the new minimum wage with effect from January 2025, payment of promotion arrears from 2018 to 2024, recruitment of additional nurses to address acute manpower shortages, and renovation of nurses’ stations and restrooms.

They warned that the strike could severely disrupt healthcare services in the hospital, which serves as the only state-owned tertiary health facility in Oyo State and a referral centre for patients from Osun, Kwara, and neighbouring communities.

While reaffirming their commitment to professional excellence and quality care, the association called on Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently intervene, stressing that industrial harmony was crucial to sustaining healthcare delivery in the state.