Hope of early resumption for students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho and Kogi State University, (KSU) Anyigba, who have been home for two years and seven months respectively may have been dashed following, what observers regard as ‘shadow chasing’ and hard stance by the governors, Sunday Independent investigations have shown.

While Oyo State government, over the week said the school would remain closed and that it will neither pay the accrued debt it owes nor open the university jointly owned by both Oyo and Osun State governments, until its management allows the accounts of the school to be audited, Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has banned the Academic Staff Union of the University (ASUU) accusing it of being used by his political opponents to frustrate all efforts at resolving the crisis.

The audit panel which was set up last month in LAUTECH reported that the institution had over 97 different bank accounts in almost all the commercial banks in the country which is not in line with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy put in place to promote transparency.

Addressing the student leaders of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, which was also closed down six weeks ago, in his office on Wednesday last week, the Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi told the members of staff of LAUTECH to allow the auditing of the institution to be completed in the interest of peace.

“We appeal to the management and academic staff of LAUTECH to allow the consultants engaged to properly audit the institution’s account. We will not pay any money again until the books are properly audited. It is not by force, propaganda, mischief and innuendoes that they will get result but by positive engagement.

“There is nothing wrong in auditing the school, it is simply checking on what we have done so far, particularly the amount we have committed to the school. Why are they afraid of audit? We appeal to them to let the auditors do their job. And if the audit report requires us to pay more money, we will pay but the ones they have collected so far, they must also account for them.”

It was gathered that the Osun State government owed N5.327 billion, while Oyo government was indebted to the tune of N1.833 billion to the institution.

In banning the ASUU chapter of KSU last week, Bello had accused the leadership of ASUU of being used by his political opponents to scuttle every peace moves to ensure that they perform the duty they had signed to do.

“Apparently, there are certain forces from certain areas that were pushing them. That wouldn’t be my concern. But my concern particularly is that certain amount of demands that were put forward, among which is salaries, have been paid fully.

“Accordingly the Kogi State Government hereby make the proclamation and declare all activities of ASUU in KSU from today 19th, July 2017 proscribed,” he said.

But the National leadership of the union had described the proscription of ASUU by the governor as laughable, saying that what a rational person should do was to constructively engage the union leaders to ensure amicable resolution of the differences.

Professor Biodun Ogunyemi of ASUU described the action of the governor as laughable, alleging that what happened showed that the governor lacked the democratic credentials to be a state chief executive in democracy.

However, apparently disturbed by the recent governor’s remark and continuous havoc the closure of the institution will cause the country, the concerned parents and even the students of LAUTECH who have been denied the right to complete their university degree programmes like their counterparts in other institutions, the Alumni Association on Thursday took the matter to the senate.

Led by the chairman of the alumni association, Professor Adewale Sunday, the group urged the Federal Government, to provide intervention fund to the institution for immediate resumption of academic activities.

It also appealed to the Federal Government to initiate the process of resolving the ownership tussle of the institution as permanent solution to the crisis.

The Senate therefore promised to look into the issue and bring an end to the crisis soon. Addressing the delegates, the senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki described the continuous closure as “pathetic and unacceptable.”

Saraki, through his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Mohammed Isa, reiterated the commitment of the Senate to the quick resolution of the crisis.

“The Senate is touched by the ongoing 2-year strike at LAUTECH. Now that we have taken up this issue, we are not going to stop until action is taken. In the past week, I have had the opportunity to speak to the Minister of Education on the issue, and he has reassured me that efforts are being made to bring representatives of both governments together to resolve the ownership affair between the two states,” said Saraki.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, however advised the Oyo and Osun State governments to set aside part of the newly disbursed Paris Club refunds for the reopening of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho.

Mr. Falana also called on the Osun state government to relinquish ownership of the troubled university as a long term measure, saying the state could not afford to ‘properly fund the university.’

He urged Oyo State government to be prepared to take over the ownership of the school and provide the needed funds for it, adding that the government could abolish its new university of technology and deploy the funds meant for it to LAUTECH.

Falana also urged the Attorney-general of Kogi State to enlighten the state governor, Yahaya Bello, to appreciate that the fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens to assemble and associate peacefully is constitutionally guaranteed and protected.

He argued that Mr. Bello “lacks the legal competence to proscribe a registered trade union like the Academic Staff Union of Universities.”

Meanwhile, a one-time female legislator from Oyo State who does not want her name in print has condemned the government’s decision to keep the school closed.

“Any time I think about the future of this country, I weep bitterly. If two state governments can find it difficult to finance one university, and begin to pass bulk on ephemeral things, then I guess we need to check up the level of the sanity of these so-called leaders. The students have been kept at home for two years and somebody is saying he is not bordered until one stupid account is audited? If the Federal government cannot intervene in this matter, then, we might have to go back to the drawing board,” she said.

Comrade Hassan Taiwo-Soweto, National Coordinator, Education Rights Campaign (ERC) also told Sunday Independent that Governor Ajimobi’s position is insensitive, callous and irresponsible.

His words: “If his children were schooling in LAUTECH, it is unlikely that he would take such a callous and irresponsible stance.

Ordinarily there is nothing wrong in auditing the account of the University. In fact as a public institution funded by tax payers money, this should be a periodic process and not something the government see fit to do because of the crisis the institution is currently enmeshed in.

But by using it as a condition for addressing the financial needs of an institution that has been under lock and key for over eight months with students unable to progress to the next class or graduate, is the height of callousness by an elected public office holder.

“The implication of the decision of the Oyo State governor is that LAUTECH students will continue to suffer at home. This is an unacceptable wastage of the time and lives of the students.

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) condemns this stance and call on students and workers of the institution to embark on mass protests and demonstrations to indicate their rejection of the position of the Oyo State governor. The crisis in LAUTECH is a demonstration of failure of governance.

If two state governments cannot successfully fund an academic institution, then what exactly can they do successfully? Governors Ajimobi and Aregbesola should be ashamed that despite being in the same political party, they both are unable to resolve something as simple as funding a public institution.

Actually in a sane society, there is no reason why any of these two governors should continue to hold office for wasting away the lives of our youth,” he said.

Mr. Claude Fajemisin, one of the parents of the institution lamented on government’s insensitivity to growth of education in Nigeria. “Let them close down the school, period. Has it become a crime to send your ward to tertiary institution? My son has spent three years in the school and two years at home.

If I had sent him to learn a vocation, maybe he would have probably become independent today. I am a peasant farmer with meager income. When will this son begin to bring money for the parents when we don’t even know when he is going to graduate?” he said.

However, House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, on behalf of the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara said, “There are complications here because we run a constitutional democracy; your institution was established by two state governments and from your request, it is not that easy for the Federal Government to take over a state-owned institution because we run a democracy.

“But there are ways we can come in because the welfare of citizens is our primary responsibility and the issue of education is shared among the three tiers of government.”

Therefore, it is not certain when the students of LAUTECH would resume from two years of closure because the audit panel has 97 accounts to audit before the owners of the institution will sit on possibilities of reopening.

Similarly, the fate of students of KSU, Anyigba is still hanging in the air as Bello, who is believed to be fighting on all fronts, with the civil servants, who, some are said to be on half or quarter pay for years, lecturers and even political opponents, may not have the much-needed attention to resolve this crisis.




Culled From; http://drinosblog..nl/2017/07/hope-of-resumption-dims-for-lautech-ksu.html


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