Why Oyo, Osun insist on LAUTECH audit revealed

Beyond the revelation that Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso has 97 different bank accounts, the two owner state governments’ insistence on auditing LAUTECH is due to other discoveries like the writing off of about N500 million naira, unremitted stabilization fund of over N4 million, among other unaccounted funds, in the institution’s account.

These revelations contained in the Chief Wole Olanipekun’s visitation panel report also include the fact that LAUTECH offered courses beyond the scope of the university, like post graduate in business administration, as well as the fact that the institution awarded degrees without the involvement of external examiners.

Also, key in the 75 recommendations of the technical paper is the proposition that more attention be accorded LAUTECH’s college of health sciences in Osogbo, Osun state than the teaching hospital in Ogbomoso, Oyo state.

The joint ownership of the institution by the two owner states was however upheld, except there is a mutual agreement to end the partnership.

Meanwhile, the paper also recommended an upward review of the tuition, currently ranging from N65,000 to N72,500 drawing comparison from the tuition of some other state-owned universities in the South West.

Confirming the positions advanced, Chairman of the technical committee that reviewed the Olanipekun panel report, Dr Gbade Ojo averred that the owner state governments could not be hindered in carrying out forensic audit of the finances, staff and students of the institution

“The white paper recommended that the joint ownership of LAUTECH remains sacrosanct owing to the subsisting Supreme Court judgment except the two states are no more interested.”

“Considering that the cost of training to award degree to an undergraduate is over N300,000 per session, the white paper recommended that the governing council may look at how to subsidise and ask student to bear the burden of what it costs to train them. There is no place in the world where tertiary education is absolutely free. The technical committee considered the tuition of neighbouring state universities in the South West before it reached this position.”

“Furthermore, the paper noted that there was the need to streamline the courses offered in LAUTECH. It argued that there were a number of courses that had nothing to do with the focus and mission of LAUTECH which is a university of technology. Imagine a university of technology offering postgraduate programme in business administration, even when it doesn’t award first degree in business administration.”

“The technical paper recommended that the college of Health sciences in Osun should be given more teeth than that in Ogbomoso and that the governing council should ensure that the university involves external examiners in the award of their degrees.”

“The university operates myriads of accounts in different banks and this does not give room for accountability. The technical paper recommended that the university should trim the number of accounts they operate.”

“It was also discovered that there are large sums of money that cannot be accounted for and had been written off in their account books. You cannot write off about N500 million in an instance. The two owner states pumping money into the university in form of subvention cannot be happy to continue doing this without result. What was done with subvention given in the past?” Gbade said.

Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), LAUTECH chapter has urged the two owner state governments not to suspend the payment of staff salaries pending the audit of the institution.

The union in a statement signed by its Chairperson, Mr Biodun Olaniran and Secretary, Mr Toyin Abegunrin, said it was not opposed to the forensic audit, calling on the owner governments to live up to its responsibilities of funding, especially giving subvention to the university.

“To start with, workers have been brought to the lowest rank of functional existence having been owed eight months’ salary arrears due to non-release of subvention by the government. It was in the recognition of this human angle to the crisis that the visitation panel recommended an immediate release of what both Oyo and Osun states are owing the institution to immediately enliven the dampened morale of the workers. It is surprising that the governments are not addressing this issue before insisting on the forensic auditing which is just one of the panel’s recommendations.”

“While our Union is not opposed to the exercise, it should not be used as an excuse to justify holding on to our members’ salaries for 8 months. Let the government fulfil its obligation as even recommended by its own visitation panel, then whatever auditing exercise they want to carry out can continue.”

“On the part of government, one of its critical responsibilities is funding. This, the governments of Oyo and Osun states have abandoned since 2013 in various degrees. To us, the ploy by government to paint ASUU as standing in the way of auditing exercise is a cheap blackmail which cannot stand inthe face of the logic of the present realities,” the statement read.