By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Hundreds of students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (Ogbomoso) on Monday accused the owner states government of Oyo and Osun of not being sincere with the planned reopening of the Institution on or before February 1 this year.
The students at a press briefing held at the NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel secretariat in Mokola, Ibadan declared that the  outcome of a parley between Governor Abiola Ajimobi and some NANS leadership after which the on or before February 1 reopening date was announced “ is not binding on LAUTCH students”.
Addressing newsmen at the briefing, Secretary of the Save Education and Reopen LAUTCH Coalition (SERAL-C), Comrade Monsurudeen Omoakin said the last Friday meeting between Governor Ajimobi and NANS leaders lacked any legitimacy and its outcome is not binding on LAUTCH students who took to the streets of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on Monday to protest the continue closure of the 26-year old institution.
The students however demanded immediate and unconditional reopening of the institution as well as the
payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances of their lecturers without any increment in their school fees as being rumoured.
“We demand immediate and unconditional re-opening of LAUTECH, Immediate payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances of striking workers, No to fee hike, Improved funding and democratic management of LAUTECH now and Immediate restoration of LAUTECH Students’ union”he said.
Comrade Omoakin berated Oyo and Osun states government for not being sincere with their plight since 13 June 2016Â when the Institution was shut saying,the continue closure of LAUTECH centred on the inability of the two states (Oyo and Osun) to pay the salaries and allowances of their lecturers.
According to him, the 26-year old institution which was once best state university in the country cannot boast of a single hostel accommodation, modern and adequate learning facilities or laboratory.
“Initially, most students and the general public were made to believe by the university management through its false hearted posture that the closure was due to students agitation against unprincipled interference of the management during the conduct of the Students Union election held few weeks earlier. This was the kind of erroneous belief under most students were made to groan for months until we began to understand that the closure was a direct consequence of the inability of the two state governments to pay the salaries and allowances of workers in the school”.
