OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCE, ENGINEER SEYI MAKINDE ON LAUTECH ISEYIN CAMPUS

 Your Excellency,

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‎We, the Youths of Iseyin land, are compelled to write to you with utmost urgency and desperation, seeking your immediate intervention to address the existential crisis facing our campus. The situation is dire, and we implore you to act swiftly to grant our campus autonomy, lest we risk losing a generation of students, the brilliant contribution they would add to the education body in the country and the beautiful vision of your Excellency to expand the economy beyond the capital city.

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‎Since its establishment in 2021, the campus has been subjected to neglect, marginalization, and deliberate attempts to stifle its growth and development by the main campus in Ogbomosho. This happened because the campus relies solely on the latter – the sole reliance has resulted in:

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‎- Inadequate infrastructure and resources, forcing students to travel to Ogbomosho for practical

‎- Unwillingness of lecturers to relocate to Iseyin, compromising the quality of education

‎- Denial of opportunities for research and innovation, stunting the growth and development of our students

‎- A sense of hopelessness and frustration among students, staff, and the community.

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‎Please be informed Your Excellency that the main campus, backed by Ogbomoso indigene, has consistently prioritized its own interests over the needs of our students and campus. We are being held hostage by a system that seeks to suppress our aspirations and stifle our progress. In just a year, the students have protested three times, obviously playing the character in a movie written and directed by some wicked lecturers to facilitate their return to Ogbomosho. The recent visit by lecturers to Iseyin campus, attempting to lure students to demonstrate again for a return to Ogbomosho, is a stark reminder of the sinister intentions of the main campus.

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‎As you are aware sir, the Iseyin campus is supposed to have 20 farm units, including poultry, piggery, and others, to facilitate practical training for our students. However, most of these units are non-existent, while those available were not put to use by the lecturers till they became bushy, moribund and useless. Thus, our students are being denied the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in their chosen fields. The lack of farm practicals is a clear indication of the neglect and marginalization of Iseyin campus by the main campus in Ogbomosho. Even as some Iseyin private farmers are ready to release their facilities to the institution for research, the management is thwarting these efforts.

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‎Dear Sir, the consequences of this neglect are dire. Our 400-level students are being neglected, as there are no practical units for them to undertake their projects. The (ANS) Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology departments have even instructed their 500-level students to return to Ogbomosho to complete their projects in their lecturers’ various private farms – this is a clear indication of selfishness and the lack of faith in the Iseyin campus.

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‎We are at a crossroads, Your Excellency. If we do not act now, the consequences will be catastrophic. We risk losing our students, our staff, and our reputation as an institution of higher learning. We risk perpetuating a cycle of poverty and underdevelopment in our community.

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‎We cannot afford to wait any longer. The Local Government, Community Stakeholders and leaders have tried their best to make the Campus work better, through the special committee established to handle LAUTECH Iseyin Campus matters - The efforts of this committee are obviously being strangulated by the base management. We need your leadership, Your Excellency. We need your courage, your vision, and your commitment to justice. We need autonomy, and we need it now.

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‎Your Excellency, we propose the following immediate actions:

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‎1. Grant LAUTECH Iseyin Campus autonomy to function independently

‎2. Establish a separate management structure, with a Vice-Chancellor and management team appointed by the university council

‎3. Appoint lecturers who are willing to relocate to Iseyin

‎4. Allocate a fair share of the university's budget to our campus

‎5. Allow our campus to develop its own curriculum and programs, tailored to the needs of our students and the community.

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‎We believe that with autonomy, we can overcome the challenges facing Iseyin Campus and provide quality education to our students. We are also confident that with your support, we can make a significant contribution to the development of Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole. We are ready to work with you to make this vision a reality.

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‎We await your urgent response and action.

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‎Yours sincerely,

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‎Qs Babajide Oniyo, MNIQS, RQS,

‎President, Council of Iseyin Youths Organisations.

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‎Co-signed:

‎Joint Actions Forum, Iseyin

‎Iseyin Youth Development Group

‎Federation of Iseyin Local Government Students

‎Movement for Ekunle Development

‎Iseyin Youth Assembly

‎National Youth Council of Nigeria, Iseyin

‎ Nigerian Youth Congress, Iseyin

‎Iseyin Youth Forum

‎Isalu Youth Development Forum

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Iseyin Community Raises Alarm Over Alleged Academic Neglect at LAUTECH Agric College, Iseyin

The Iseyin community and students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), College of Agricultural Science and Renewable Natural Resources, Iseyin Campus, have raised serious concerns over what they described as deliberate actions by some lecturers and staff aimed at frustrating academic activities and undermining the growth of the newly established campus.

Speaking under the umbrella of the Iseyin Development Union (IDU), community leaders accused a group of lecturers—allegedly led by the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences—of sabotaging efforts by both the government and host community to ensure stability, quality teaching, and sustainable development at the Iseyin campus.

The allegations were made on Monday during a press conference held at the palace of the Aseyin of Iseyinland. Addressing journalists, the National President of the IDU, Alhaji Mubasiru Azeez, first expressed profound appreciation to the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, for relocating the College of Agricultural Science and Renewable Natural Resources to Iseyin and for approving the financial and logistical support required for its successful takeoff.

According to him, the relocation brought renewed hope to the people of Iseyin and the wider Oke-Ogun zone, while the community has continued to offer full cooperation and support to ensure the success of the institution.

However, the Union lamented that these gains are now being threatened by what it termed “unacceptable and deliberate neglect” by some academic staff members. It was alleged that since academic activities resumed at the Iseyin campus on October 13, 2025, several lecturers in key departments—including Crop Production and Soil Science, Crop and Environmental Protection, and Agricultural Economics—have failed to resume teaching duties.

The IDU further disclosed that only one lecturer reportedly showed up in each of the Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology, and Animal Production and Health departments, while just four lecturers were said to be actively teaching in the Agricultural Extension and Rural Development department.

Alhaji Azeez noted that the situation has caused widespread anxiety among students and parents, stressing that the community had initially refrained from accusing anyone of sabotage, but said the pattern of events could no longer be ignored.

“The Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Oyebola Adeyeri III, Ajirotutu I, the Council of Traditional Chiefs, religious leaders, elders and the entire people of Iseyin remain deeply grateful to Governor Seyi Makinde for his uncommon goodwill towards our community,” he said. “Unfortunately, the actions of a few disgruntled individuals now threaten the future of our children and the credibility of this institution.”

The Union recalled that students were forced to protest on January 20, 2025, following prolonged teaching deficiencies. It alleged that more than half of the students had been compelled to return to Ogbomoso, where some were reportedly engaged in farm work on private livestock farms belonging to their lecturers and supervisors instead of receiving formal academic instruction.

Further allegations include the deliberate withholding of 400-level results of students currently in 500 level, allegedly to create frustration and provoke unrest. The IDU also claimed that a poorly coordinated timetable was deliberately designed, with multiple courses scheduled simultaneously in the same lecture halls, leading to confusion and overcrowding.

According to the Union, these actions culminated in unrest within the town on December 8, 2025, with claims that some lecturers instigated students and parents against the state government, encouraged litigation, and fueled negative narratives against Iseyin and the broader Oke-Ogun region.

The Union also alleged that despite students paying levies for 2025 farm practical's, no practical training had been conducted, while final-year students were allegedly subjected to the stress and financial burden of shuttling between Ogbomoso and Iseyin for project supervision, as some lecturers reportedly refused to relocate to the Iseyin campus.

“These actions show a blatant disregard for the welfare, safety, and academic future of the students, all in an attempt to blackmail the state government and frustrate the system,” the Union stated.

In a passionate appeal, the IDU called on Governor Makinde to urgently intervene, restore order, and ensure that all lecturers posted to the Iseyin campus comply fully with their academic responsibilities.

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Oyo State Chapter, Comrade Tiamiyu Taiwo, who led a delegation of LAUTECH Iseyin campus students, echoed the call for swift intervention. He urged relevant stakeholders, including the university management and governing council, to enforce compliance among lecturers, noting that students have endured prolonged hardship, uncertainty, and academic disruption.

The press conference concluded with a unified call by community leaders and students for immediate action to safeguard the future of the LAUTECH Iseyin campus and protect the academic dreams of its students.

Signed:

Alhaji Azeez Toyin Mubasiru, FCA, ACTI

National President,

Iseyin Development Union (IDU)