Gbenro Adesina
Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has declared that funding Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso (LAUTECH) would pose no difficulty for the state as it had been captured in the State’s 2021 budget.
Makinde, who said this today while answering questions on a radio programme through telephone added that the state has been taking full financial responsibility of the institution since the beginning of the year 2020.
The Governor said that he went to meet the Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola recently and implored him to let other factors apart from politics reign on the issue of the institution and the fate of the students and their lecturers which informed the agreement to cede LAUTECH to Oyo State.
“When we came in, we said Oyo State will fund for January to July and Osun for the other part, but for some reasons, when we came in, we had to intervene and for this year 2020, Oyo State has been funding LAUTECH alone and we have appropriated enough money in the 2021 budget to continue doing this. Nothing is going to change. Of course, we have issues with how the University has been running in the past. We have to change it but it won’t matter where you come from, there won’t be Osun must go, it is a university, we have what it take to put LAUTECH where it used to be nationally and also put it on African and international ranking”.
“I went to my brother, Gboyega Oyetola and I spoke to him to let us keep ego aside, I explained to him that it is universality and it should be universal and he saw reasons with me and we give God the glory. I remember my time in UNILAG. I did not even know where my lecturers hail from. Now, the real work has started. We have to ensure it is well funded and it contributes to the economy of Ogbomosho and Oyo State. I will be going to Ogbomosho to meet with the stakeholders very soon. However, I want to plead with the lecturers that there is no Osun forum, no Oyo forum”, he added.
On issues relating to assets, the governor said processes of distribution of assets of the institution was transparent. It was valued and monitored by the Nigeria University Commission (NUC). Whatever in each of the two states belonged to the individual state. The lecturers and students from each state would enjoy what they used to enjoy before the current situation.
The ceding of LAUTECH to Oyo State was announced on Friday morning to the appreciation of students of the university and parents who believed the action of the two governors of Oyo and Osun States were commendable, in relation to the future of the institution.
