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The Oyo State House of Assembly has called for the severeqnce of the Oyo-Osun joint ownership of the Ladoke Akintola Univesity of Technology (LAUTECH).
The Assembly wants Osun State disengaged from the ownership owing to the state’s poor financial contribution to the institution.
This was part of a motion sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ogbomoso North, Hon. Olawumi Oladeji and nine other lawmakers at the plenary session on Tnursday. The motion was titled:” Reviewing the Joint onwership of LAUTECH: A Step towards sole ownership by Oyo State Government”
Hon. Oladeji noted that upon the creation of Osun out of Oyo State in 1991, the two states agreed to the joint ownership and reached an agreement to share responsibilities including payment of staff salaries, but Osun’s lack of committment to the deal had been threatening the growth and development of the institution.
She further noted that the Oyo State Government had remained to fulfilling it’s own part of the financial obligation.
She said: “We are concerned about the persistent crises in the university due to default in payment of staff salaries as and when due. Cummulatively, State of Osun Government is owing 15 months staff salaries as at September, 2016. Consequent upon this, the university staff has embarked on an indefinite strike which has paralysed all activities in the university. It should be noted that if the industrial strike embarked upon by the university staffs persist for too long it may spell doom for the existence and growth of the university”
She urged Oyo State government to show more concern as regards the welfare of the staff, students and LAUTECH as a whole.
While Hon. Kayode Akande berated the Osun State government for breaching the agreement, Hon. Segun Ajanaku, said it was a sensitive matter that needed to be deliberated upon by the two states. He however stated that ceding of university to Oyo State will relieve Osun of its financial burdens on the institution.
But, the Speaker of the State House, Michael Adeyemo said the House needs to revisit the Memorandum Of Understanding that was signed between the two states.
The MOU according to him, shows how the states agreed to manage the financial and infra structural facilities of the institution.
The House then invited the Attorney General of the state, and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Seun Abimbola, along with the officials of the State Ministry of Education to appear at the house plenary on Tuesday, September 27, 2016, to shed more light on the matter.