Osun State governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola on Wednesday released a sum of N472 million to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.
This development came barely a week after he inaugurated a five-man panel to negotiate Osun State’s rights and privileges in the joint ownership of the institution.
It will be recalled that the duo of Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde and Oyetola met two weeks ago at the insistence of the chairman of the university’s Governing Council, Professor Oladapo Afolabi, to chart a way forward for the institution.
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Part of the understanding reached at the said meeting was the setting up of a 10-man committee, five from each state, to look at all the issues surrounding the joint ownership agreements and proffer lasting solutions to the challenges.
While Osun, last week, constituted its own committee, led by Professor Olu Aina, Oyo is yet to inaugurate its own committee.
As a follow up to the understanding reached at the said meeting, Osun on Wednesday again released funds for both the university and the LAUTECH Teaching hospital in Osogbo.
In a letter addressed to the chairman of the university’s council, signed by the Osun Commissioner for Finance, Mr Bola Oyebamiji, which was sighted byTribuneOnline in Osogbo, Oyetola observed that the release of the fund was in line with the earlier agreement reached at a meeting in Abuja between the Oyo and Osun on the need to ensure “financial stability and sustainability” of the institution.
The breakdown of the amount indicates that, while the sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira Only (N250,000,000.00) will go to the University, in Ogbomoso, Two Hundred and Twenty-two Million Naira Only (N222, 000,000.00), will go to the University’s Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, for payment of salaries.
The letter reads in part: “I wish to inform you that the Osun State government has paid the sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira Only (N250,000,000.00) to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso in line with the agreement earlier reached by Governors Gboyega Oyetola of Osun and Seyi Makinde of Oyo (the two owner states) in Abuja to ensure financial stability and sustainability of the institution.”
“It is also worthy of note that the Osun State government has released the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty-two Million Naira Only (N222, 000,000.00) to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo for payment salaries which brings the total funds released to the university to Four Hundred and Seventy-two Million Naira Only (N472, 000, 000.00).”
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