Attempt by Oyo to take over LAUTECH against Supreme Court judgment —Osun Assembly

Osun State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, contended that the purported plan by the Oyo State  government to take over Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH),  Ogbomoso, is against the Supreme Court judgment, which had declared that the institution remained a joint property of Osun and Oyo states.

Addressing a press conference over the issue in the chambers of the legislature, the chairman, House Committee on Education, Honourable Folorunso Bamisayemi, argued that following a suit instituted by the former Oyo State governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala -led administration in  an attempt  to takeover the institution, the Supreme Court, on December 26, 2012, had ruled that LAUTECH remained a jointly owned institution.

He accused some elements within Oyo State government of allegedly encouraging criminality and also condemned the denial by the  Oyo State Attorney- General of any existing court verdict against the take-over  bid.

Bamisaye said that Osun State government had  never played a second fiddle to Oyo State  in the management of the institution regardless the imbalance in the sharing of assets of the institution since its creation.

He described as untrue,  insinuations that Osun  State was shirking in its responsibility to LAUTECH due to its funding of UNIOSUN, stressing that “in the last six years, UNIOSUN has been managed with only internally generated revenue.”

“The following are some infractions which ordinarily, Osun State should have protested about but which we accepted calmly in the spirit of one Yoruba nation and regional integration”.

“Seven and a half faculties of the university are located in Ogbomoso while only a quarter (some say half), of a faculty is located in Osogbo, Osun State. In spite of this obvious lopsidedness, we still contribute equal amount as partners and joint owners.

“The postgraduate school, the pre-degree centre, Part-time programme and  the Centre for Distance Learning, are all sited in Ogbomoso. The staff ratio is 1100 for Oyo State to 610 for Osun State.

“Sixteen  TETFUND need assessment projects are in Ogbomoso campus with none in Osogbo. The people of Ogbomoso, and their supporters in Oyo State government, are obviously mistaking our maturity for weakness and foolishness. They will soon realise that it is not so.”

He, however, affirmed that Osun  State was never ready to let go its inheritance in LAUTECH, just as he implored well -meaning Nigerians to make Oyo State tow the line of peace and justice over the joint ownership of the institution.

Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), on Wednesday, called for caution over the festering crisis at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, which is jointly owned by Osun and Oyo state governments.

In a statement by  its  publicity secretary, Mr Kunle Famoriyo,  ARG said it was particularly worried by the reported violent attack on some officials of the university by some unknown persons.

“We believe that such barbaric  act have no root in our society and should not be allowed. We ,therefore, call for calm and understanding among all  relevant stakeholders of the university”.

It reads in part, “the significant financial challenges facing LAUTECH does not and must not translate to enmity between the indigenes of Oyo and Osun states as this is against the spirit of peace and unity that many of our leaders are labouring to promote.”

“ARG hereby call on the governors of the two states, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and Mr Rauf Aregbesola, to quickly come to a round-table on this matter and resolve all agitations in the overall interest of the larger community that the university serves”.”They both must quickly bring to bear their leadership acumen to contain this festering sore that may become aggravated  if not accorded the adequate and deserving attention required.

“ARG calls on the  Soun of Ogbomoso , Oba Jimoh  Oyewumi,   to  assist in nipping this crisis in the bud.”