By; BAYO AKAMO,Ibadan.
Suspected thugs on Tuesday invaded the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) campus in Ogbomoso and beat up Osun State indigenes working in the University.
It was learnt that the suspected thugs during the attack on the staff members threatened the Osun State indigenes to go back to their state claiming that Osun was no longer needed as part of the institution.
New Nigerian gathered that the thugs on arrival at the Institution’s campus invaded the office of the University’s bursar but that the bursar was rescued by policemen drafted to maintain law and order at the campus.
The invasion of Institution’s campus climaxed the prolonged crisis between the Oyo and Osun state government over the ownership of the Institution.
It will be recalled that Oyo state House of Assembly last Thursday asked the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Seun Abimbola, to appear before it to explain why the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two state governments in 2010 which purportedly ceded Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso to Oyo State has not been implemented.
The lawmakers invited the Attorney General after their deliberations on a motion sponsored by Hon. Bimbo Olawunmi Oladeji and nine others titled, “Reviewing the joint ownership of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology: A step towards sole ownership by Oyo State government”.
Moving the motion,Hon. Bimbo Olawunmi Oladeji representing Ogbomoso North State Constituency, declared that LAUTECH remained the only university in the country been jointly owned by two state governments, and that “the joint ownership is being threatened by poor financial commitment by the Osun State government”.
Hon Oladeji stressed that Oyo State government has been trying its best to ensure the sustainability of the high standard that the university is noted for in the past by fulfilling its own part of the financial obligation required to sustain the growth of the institution but that the financial difficulties faced by the institution which have led to persistent crises, saying as at present, Osun State government is owing the staff of the university who are on an indefinite strike 15 months salary arrears.
The lawmaker added that academic activities in the university have been paralysed with the students unable to write the first semester examinations when the academic session is expected to end in few weeks time.
She emphasized that with sustained effort and the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the university as well as availability of necessary infrastructure, personnel and institutional facilities, the Oyo State government can solely sustain and run the university without any hitch.
Hon Oladeji pointed out that there is the need for urgent steps to be taken to address the joint ownership of the university, saying that Oyo State government should be concerned about this as the Osun State government has consistently failed to honour its own side of financial obligation as regards the payment of staff salaries and infrastructural development of the institution in the last 15 months.
