The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Dr. Biodun Olaniran, tells FEMI MAKINDE that the union is not against probing LAUTECH’s accounts

LAUTECH was on strike for the better part of 2016 and the same thing is happening this year. What is the reason for this?

The main cause of incessant strikes of the unions in LAUTECH, and especially ASUU, is the chronic under-funding of the university. That is where the problem started from. The funding pattern of the university is not sustainable and that has led to a series of crises on campus. We are owed many months’ salary.

How many months’ salary are you owed?



We are owed 10 months’ salary. No part payment, no half salary. We have not collected a dime for the past 10 months. I want to believe that our members have been surviving through the grace of God.

Chief Wole Olanipekun’s visitation panel recommended, among other things, the audit of the university’s account. Why did your members chase the KPMG officials away?

The Olanipekun panel recommended the audit of the university but that is not the only thing they recommended. For us as a union, we don’t have any problem with the KPMG auditing the account of the institution. We are known for transparency and accountability, so they can audit the university. But what we are saying is, why take that particular recommendation alone? Why can’t they look into other recommendations? Because one of the recommendations of Olanipekun’s panel is to let activities resume on the campus before they can do every other thing? For activities to resume in the university, the panel recommended that they should release N1.7bn immediately. That was how the panel put it and it is on page 89 of the panel’s report. But the governors and their spokespersons are saying some people went ahead to chase away some people. ASUU members were not on campus when officials of the audit firm went to LAUTECH. We have already embarked on an indefinite strike. I am not aware if anybody was chased out, but certainly not by our members.

It was also alleged that the workers’ union of the university went to court to file a suit to stop the owner-states from auditing their accounts. Is ASUU part of the suit?

That is why we are saying governments of Oyo and Osun states, especially the governors, are not sincere in their move to resolve the crisis in LAUTECH. How could they say that the workers’ unions filed a lawsuit against them (the two states)? Why are they saying that the unions went to court to stop the planned audit of the university’s accounts? I believe they have the copies of the papers filed in court; they should have come into the open to say which unions approached the court. We have four unions on campus. We have ASUU, the Non-Academic Staff Unions of Universities, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the National Association of Academic Technologists. They should be specific about the unions because ASUU is not against the audit. We are not part of the unions they are talking about.

However, I think some people believe that they have the right to seek redress in the court. I think people are free to go to court and individual organisations can go to court to have some interpretations from the court of law. I also want to believe that the Olanipekun panel’s report clearly spelt out that the only body that the law allowed to appoint an external auditor to check the books of the university is the governing council. Maybe that is one of the areas which the other unions are looking at. Neither the governors nor their governments can appoint external auditors and that is why Olanipekun recommended that the way they can do it is that if you are the ones that appointed the chairman and members of the governing council, then the governing council can appoint an external auditor. At least, the states appointed those in the governing council and those there are all the appointees of the governors, but they should follow the law.

Do you think the recommendations of the Olanipekun panel can put an end to the crisis in LAUTECH?

The chairman and members of that panel have done a thorough job. To be candid, their recommendations are okay. The panel’s recommendations took cognisance of the reality of the economic situation of the country. It fashioned out ways of implementing (the recommendations) so that there will be peace. The owners of LAUTECH may not be able to do everything at once, but at least, if they pick those recommendations that will restart activities on campus, as time goes on, normalcy will be restored to the university and other recommendations can be implemented to ensure permanent peace.

Were you aware that the university management operates about 97 different accounts?

We were not aware. ASUU members are part of the academic staff. We don’t have anything to do with the finances of the university. What we are saying as a union is if you notice some of these things, at least all the principal officers of the university are still the appointees of the government, so if they feel that in a way they have done something wrong, they have the ability to hire and fire. Why blame the generality of the workers of the university when they know that there are specific persons in charge of the finances of the university? Is ASUU a signatory to any of the accounts? No, it is not our job. Our job is to teach, do research and community services.

What has been the role of LAUTECH Chancellor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in this crisis?

To the best of my knowledge, we have not heard anything from the chancellor, Tinubu. In fact, we made several appeals to him. As a political leader in this region, we believe that he should be able to talk to the two governors, who are members of his political party. But we have not heard anything (from him). However, what we cannot rule out is that we don’t know if he is working underground. We have not heard from him; he has not spoken publicly on the LAUTECH crisis.

Some government officials say that despite the investments of the two states and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund in LAUTECH, lecturers of the university have not come up with any major breakthrough in research. Is that correct?

Such a statement from government officials would be unfair to the system. If they are saying LAUTECH lecturers have not had any major breakthrough in research, at least even of our products, those that we taught and came out of the university are making impacts around the world. That will show you whether there is scholarship at our university or not. We have some of the students that graduated from the university doing well in some of the top companies in the world. They are working there and I know that if they are not good, they won’t be employed. We have some of our old students working with Microsoft.

Don’t you think that the two states should give construction contracts to the institution’s engineering department to generate more funds?

That is what we have been saying all this while. For example, even at our university, there is construction going on. We have buildings; we have the civil engineering department that can carry out construction. But it is this same government that will not allow these contracts to be given to the university. The governments are only interested in giving the jobs to their cronies and party members and that is the problem. When we are talking of construction, we have competent people in civil engineering and other related disciplines. These are the jobs the university can execute and do very well, but government’s insincerity is affecting these things. We can, as consultants, take up the job. But they will not allow us. So we should not be blamed. We have people who can build good roads but political patronage is affecting things here. If they want to construct a 1,000-seater lecture theatre, it will cost about N200m; they will appoint consultants in various fields and we have LAUTECH Consultant Services that can take up that job. So, what stops the government from patronising LAUTECH?

Has the university been approaching the two state governments for such contracts?

Read more at .....


http://punchng.com/ajimobi-aregbesola-not-sincere-about-lautech-crisis-ASUU-chair/

So these people are playing with the futures of Nigeria?

The union are not being sincere here. Why force the govt to release fund when a proper audit has not been carried out? That's like saying the independent panel carried out their own audit.
They should allow the KPMG audit go on.
Another angle to this is the fact that student in this institution are now being afforded 6 years to study a four year program. That isn't fair to private uni student who take more workload in their own four years. The public uni system is a joke.

Whats wrong with all these ppl.

Kukuma close that school abeg....

Is there anyone sincere in this APC government? Even the so called Mr integrity is now Mr falsehood. Aregbe and co are just learning from their master

.guh

Mr. Chairman, let them audit the account abeg.

I remember when they said the problem with lautech was both governors were in different parties. Pdp and apc. Now both are in apc still same poo. Nigeria is a zoo. Innocent lautech graduates wud still apply for jobs only to see age limit 25 year. After lautech don chop 3 years from their lives.

Lautech female students are now getting married every weekend

And some are already learning one trade or the other

It is well

Strike is normal

Desyner:
The union are not being sincere here. Why force the govt to release fund when a proper audit has not been carried out? That's like saying the independent panel carried out their own audit.
They should allow the KPMG audit go on.
Another angle to this is the fact that student in this institution are now being afforded 6 years to study a four year program. That isn't fair to private uni student who take more workload in their own four years. The public uni system is a joke.

Oga which one do you prefer?

To study a course for four years or spread the credit load of the same course over the period of six years

Make up your mind already.

Those who are saying the auditing should go ahead should make it clear,u mean the striking workers should go back to work without 10 months salary for the audit to take place?
Note that the recommendation of the panel is that 1.7 billion be paid by both states to ensure resumption then carry out an audit but due to the insincerity of the governors and their reps the news they are peddling is that of the unions trying to help the university evade audit,I think the governors should pay some of the salaries and see if they will resume for audit to take place or not.
Do not let us forget this is APC if they are really right that the unions are obstructing justice in terms of avoiding audit they would have been sued,pls dnt let us be fooled by this lieing government

Lautech delayed my destiny for two years before they finally released me..

They should release my transcript if they dont want constituted authority to visit their father.

Seriously the Thunderbolt that will fire Ajirebi and Baba hafusa is still charging on a Qualcomm quick charge 3.0 adapter

I pray these constituted authorities and their employees pity these students. How can one explain two students getting admission to separate universities in 2011, one of them was done with youth service last year while the other is still stuck on his departmental project.

they can continue blaming each other all they want

LAUTECH cannot stop a man from shining

When foolish people become politicians, the nation suffers

What the government is doing is good riddance to bad rubbish, some of us have both parents working in LAUTECH and I can tell you how hard even feeding is.... U did not pay salary for 10 months and then to feel justified to the public you come up with auditing and say the unions are rejecting auditing.... Like seriously Ajimobi and Aregbesola need to have their brains checked.

kings09:
Strike is normal

Goat

donatusdesmond:
Those who are saying the auditing should go ahead should make it clear,u mean the striking workers should go back to work without 10 months salary for the audit to take place?
Note that the recommendation of the panel is that 1.7 billion be paid by both states to ensure resumption then carry out an audit but due to the insincerity of the governors and their reps the news they are peddling is that of the unions trying to help the university evade audit,I think the governors should pay some of the salaries and see if they will resume for audit to take place or not.
Do not let us forget this is APC if they are really right that the unions are obstructing justice in terms of avoiding audit they would have been sued,pls dnt let us be fooled by this lieing government

exactly most people saying the auditing should go on know nothing about these governors, they have played this same game of deceit before and the workers are clearly not ready for a re-occurence.... After the auditing what is the assurance these governors would pay... Is it Ajimobi that said if the workers were praying enough and truly God exists, he should have been long dead.... Such heartless being.

God wee punish both of em.

Darey207:
I think im a Goat

Nawa for u oo....cos of strike?

Desyner:
The union are not being sincere here. Why force the govt to release fund when a proper audit has not been carried out? That's like saying the independent panel carried out their own audit.
They should allow the KPMG audit go on.
Another angle to this is the fact that student in this institution are now being afforded 6 years to study a four year program. That isn't fair to private uni student who take more workload in their own four years. The public uni system is a joke.

your daftness is grade A. Please did you not read the recommendations laid out for the audit to commence. When a university or company is on shut down, please auditors in the house can you audit such. Aregbe and Ajimobi have frozen your brain olorun.

Owoduni food processing lab

Desyner:
The union are not being sincere here. Why force the govt to release fund when a proper audit has not been carried out? That's like saying the independent panel carried out their own audit.
They should allow the KPMG audit go on.
Another angle to this is the fact that student in this institution are now being afforded 6 years to study a four year program. That isn't fair to private uni student who take more workload in their own four years. The public uni system is a joke.

Simple sense you haven't made with these your write up and it shows you don't have any knowledge as regards the LAUTECH but I'll enlighten you.
1. The lecturers ante not against the audit. Let them get some form of payment and school activities resume that way it's a win win for the students,the lecturers and government
2. Lautech courses are for 5yrs not 4 and if we count the incessant strikes we've used 7yrs for a 5yr course.
3. I can't judge the private university curriculum because I've not been in any but I'll tell you something the state schools have basically the worst curriculum you can ever come across. Most of the teaching methods are outdated.
The only point I'll agree with you on is the fact that the LAUTECH system is a joke and last point Tinubu is a f**cking devil. He's the chancellor of the school he hasn't done anything to help over 40,000 student. infact all Nigerian politicians are f*cked up

Desyner:
The union are not being sincere here. Why force the govt to release fund when a proper audit has not been carried out? That's like saying the independent panel carried out their own audit.
They should allow the KPMG audit go on.
Another angle to this is the fact that student in this institution are now being afforded 6 years to study a four year program. That isn't fair to private uni student who take more workload in their own four years. The public uni system is a joke.

Guy the thing is the workers need an assurance that they won't be made to resume for auditing and not get paid again, because these governors have once made them resume with a promise that salaries would be paid just for the workers to discover it was all deceit.... For we here at Oyo and Osun States, we know how terrible these governors can be and we are not ready to gamble auditing without pay again. My own parents have not been paid for 10 months and the first thing you want them to do is to resume for auditing without an assurance of payment?...

Do u know that all our governors in southwest have the first letter of their names in common?


Lagos = Ambode
Ogun = Amosun
Oyo = Ajimobi
Osun = Aregbesola
Ondo = Akeredolu
Ekiti = Ayodele

All av got ' A ' in common

SoldierBoy1:
Guy the thing is the workers need an assurance that they won't be made to resume for auditing and not get paid again, because these governors have once made them resume with a promise that salaries would be paid just for the workers to discover it was all deceit.... For we here at Oyo and Osun States, we know how terrible these governors can be and we are not ready to gamble auditing without pay again. My own parents have not been paid for 10 months and the first thing you want them to do is to resume for auditing without an assurance of payment?...

pls what was the cause of the recently concluded 9month strike??

if my sources are right, before the last strike the lecturers aren't owned a dime(not so sure).

There has been too many propaganda, we don't even know the truth of the matter. In other to solve these issue, our workers need to make sacrifices. if they continue to be strife with the government, we as student might lose out in the short run, but they might lose out in the long run.

With the way these crises is lingering on, there is no sign of resumption these year. And if we don't resume this year, it will make it 15 month of owed salary. I repeat no government will pay it staff 15 month of salary. Our only hope is the new government, 2018/2019 govt.

If ASUU really love us and themselves, they should resume and our token of Igr should be use to finance the school, till time of possible solution.

Aregbe is owing osun doc 22 month, Ajimobi is owing state workers 4 month, and heaven did not fall. If the lecturers think, being on strike will solve the issue, they are on a long thing. Aregbe and Ajimobi don't care.

N.b My mum works for Oyo state govt, I knows how it feel.

Oloriburuku ni awon boys yen