No winner, no loser in LAUTECH joint ownership dissolution, says Reconciliation committee

Osun State Government has said there was no winner or loser between Osun and Oyo States over the final ceding of ownership of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) to Oyo State.

It said all was done in the interest of students of the institution, education sector, as well as the people of both states.

Chairman of Osun State Reconciliation Committee on LAUTECH, Emeritus Professor Olu Aina, gave this position at weekend during a virtual media conference via Zoom platform with the state Commissioner for Education, Mr Oladoyin Folorunso and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr Jamiu Olawunmi Babatunde, in attendance.

Prof Aina, who gave a background information to the joint ownership of the 30-year-old institution and the subsequent crisis, which eventually led to dissolution on Friday, said all the terms and references as made public by the National Universities Commission (NUC), which served as a mediator between the two states and also announced the dissolution of the joint ownership were correct position of the current status of LAUTECH and that both states were satisfied to it.

He restated that the Government of Oyo State is now a sole ownership of LAUTECH main campus in Ogbomosho, while the College of Health Sciences situated in Osogbo now solely belong to the Government of Osun State.

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He said the representatives of Osun State in the determination of sharing formular of both assets and liabilities of the university were experts and credible people and that they made a good deal for the state with no state cheated the other.

On whether the sharing was also involved money, he said forensic audit of the university was still ongoing after which financial obligations of any state to the other would be determined if any.

“So, it was a fair deal with no winner, nor looser between the two states,” Professor Aina said.

When also asked about the plan of Osun State on the College of Health Sciences in Osogbo, he said it would serve the 14-year-old Osun State University.  

He also said the state government had no plan to establish a new university rather to improve on the existing Osun State University for better service delivery.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE