Makinde promises pay rise for LAUTECH contract security workers, after emotional appeal

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has announced an increase in the monthly pay of 65 non-staff security officers working at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso,

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In a post on his official X page, the Governor also instructed that they should be integrated into the hospital’s system as ad hoc staff members.

The development came following Governor Makinde’s visit with health workers at the teaching hospital on Tuesday. In the meeting, a contract security guard appealed directly to Governor Makinde for a pay rise.

The worker detailed the difficulties of living on his meagre monthly wage of N18,800.

In response, Governor Makinde pledged to raise the monthly stipend to N80,000 and integrate the 65 affected security guards into the hospital system as ad hoc staff.

The health workers had raised concerns about unpaid promotion and minimum wage arrears, inadequate staffing, and delays in completing hospital projects.

The governor said the state government would constitute the hospital’s Governing Council by the end of the week, increase monthly subvention, integrate non-staff security personnel into the hospital system, and ensure they receive stipends.

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He also pledged that the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Annexe in Oyo would be completed before the end of his administration,

“Today, we visited the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso to meet with health workers. After listening to their grievances, I committed to tackling the issues raised as follows:

“To pay promotion arrears 2018-2024 remuneration in three equal instalments in October-December 2025. To pay minimum wage arrears from January-August 2025 in three equal installments in October-December 2025.

“l also said that some of the other issues raised will be addressed by the Governing Council once they are in place,” the governor said.

N18,800 salary

In a widely circulated video, a middle-aged security guard at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, is seen sobbing as he pleads with Governor Makinde for help.

His voice trembled as he recounted surviving on a take-home pay of just N18,800 per month, barely enough to feed his family of three.

“On the first day of June 2021, we carried placards asking the government to help us. All the people sitting here are staff, but we have been here since the time of Governor Alao Alala. Where do we place our hope? We are not members of staff. We are indigenes of Oyo State, please help us. We are suffering, please help us. I have a family with three children, and I am getting older by the day,” he whimpered.

Governor Makinde then asked an official of the hospital about the arrangement. The official explained that the hospital’s security personnel are outsourced to a private company, which handles recruitment, payment, and collects a commission of N27,000 per person

The bane of contract staffing

The arithmetic is simple. Each security guard at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital earns N18,800 per month, but a private company managing their recruitment earns N27,000 on each worker. With 65 employees, this arrangement nets the company a total monthly profit of N1,755,000.”

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Unfortunately, millions of Nigerians are stuck in these exploitative underpaid contract jobs across sectors such as banking, telecommunications, oil and gas, and public institutions.

These workers are often exploited, earning 50 to 70 per cent less than full-time staff. They lack benefits and face job insecurity while the outsourcing companies benefit.