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The ASUU zonal coordinator, Mr. Fred Esumeh who frowned at the chronic underfunding of the tertiary institution told journalists in Benin that education is brutally neglected in Nigeria but the case of LAUTECH is very pathetic as the institution is grossly underfunded by Oyo and Osun states, the joint owners.
He said: “The chronic underfunding of LAUTECH had manifested itself in so many ugly forms in the areas of over-bloated student population, outrageous fee regimes, poor state of infrastructural facilities, inadequate staff development programme, unpaid promotion arrears and unpaid salaries of workers running into 10 months.”
He was flanked by Mr. Julius Iyasele, the chairperson of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) chapter, Monday Igbafen of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State (AAU); Shola Fayose of Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU), Akungba Akoko, Ondo State and Dipo Akomolafe of Osun State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH).
Esumeh said that it was cause for concern that the two visitors to the school, Governors Abiola Ajimobi and Rauf Aregbesola have shirked their responsibilities and have conspired to deny the workers their right to wages.
“Rather than redress the abnormality of underfunding, the two states have since established additional universities, each in their respective states,” he complained.
While insisting that proliferation of universities is not the solution, he called on Nigerians, Oyo and Osun people and all lovers of education to urgently intervene to restore adequate funding and save the institution from collapse.
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