Oyo Assembly members question PPP plan for technical university

Process of amending the 2012 law establishing the technical university, Ibadan, Oyo State, commenced at Tuesday’s plenary of the state House of Assembly with members raising questions over the modalities for public/private partnership in the running of the university.

Especially, members raised concerns over the manner of investment of private individuals and organizations noting fears that the university may gravitate from a public to a privately owned institution, if the terms of investment of private partners were not well spelt out.

In his contribution, member representing Atiba state constituency, Honourable Gbenga Oyekola observed the imperativeness for the terms of involvement cum private partners to be clear noting that private individuals or organizations do invest in ventures with the intent of profit making.

Similarly, member representing Oyo East/Oyo West constituency, Honourable Muideen Olagunju called for caution in the supposed large allocation of the shares of the university to private persons or firms such that private interest do not supersede public interest.

Noting the current challenges of funding existing tertiary institutions in the state, Honourable Wumi Oladeji of Ogbomoso North constituency, wondered whether establishing another university would not leave more burden on the finances of the state government.

Honourable Solomon Akande, representing Ogbomoso South constituency also noted called for consideration of the renaming of the university to Oyo technical university, Ibadan, to reflect that the university is state-owned.

Speaking, Chairman Parliamentary, Honourable Segun Ajanaku urged members to further scrutinize the principal law and 2016 amendment noting that the concerns of some of his fellow legislators had been taken care of in the principal law and in the amendment.

Speaker of the House of Assembly, Honourable Micheal Adeyemo asserted that the technical university would remain a public university and not private, noting that the law setting up the university stipulated that the state governor remained a visitor to the university.

He noted that this affirmed the fact that the university was state government owned, while asking the House Committee on Education to invite the state Commissioner for Education to provide more clarifications on concerns of investment and public/private partnership in the university.