LAUTECH: Monday, 13th of July 2015 was no normal day at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, as it experienced one of its largest unified protests in support of the industrial action embarked upon by the Lautech branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The protest which saw the full closure of the institution by over 3000 students, a blockage of the Ogbomosho – Ilorin federal express way for over 4 hours, a total shut down of the Ogbomosho North local government secretariat and a remonstration march to the Soun’s palace to lay their grievance. The King was asked to plead on their behalf to the government as a 5-year course has turned 6-year course. The student said they won’t tolerate any attempt to award them extra year.

Earlier in a press release signed by the chairman Dr Oyegoke, the ASUU LAUTECH chapter had on Friday 10th of July 2015 embarked on a full scale industrial action following the non-payment of June salary. It was also stated that the institution had not been paid by the owner governments for 13 months and that the university has for this period been run solely by its internal generated revenue. For the first time in 4 years a strike is halting the already started general examination, which has commenced for two weeks before the strike action.

It is essential to state the facts noting that the government of Osun and Oyo the owners of the institution owe subvention to the university from 2011 to 2015, an accumulated sum of 16.74bn naira, the sharing formula of salary payment also allows that for the first 6 months of the year, the government of Oyo state caters for salaries, and the state of Osun pays for the rest of the year. For 13 months in total, the state of Osun and Oyo state have refused to pay salaries and have left LAUTECH to it own. For 7 months, Osun provided no allocation, Oyo a total of 6 months, a shameful tale includes that no single building block has been provided by the government of both states to the institution despite having the leader of the ruling All Progressive Party Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the chancellor of the instution, a ceremony that saw him been honoured with an Honoris Causa, Honorary doctor of philosophy in a ceremony that also saw the attendance of now President Muhammadu Buhari.

The angry students who went on a wild protest of the government decision not to fund its own institution and leave it to suffer neglect like a nursing mother leaving her sucking child. This many protesting today believe would lead to an increment of fees by the next academic session, would lead to rationalization of staffs as the institution can no longer cater for its over 3,000 staffs with the meagre income generated from its IGR. It is worthy of note that the ongoing projects are parts of the 2013 TEFTFUND assisted project, and that the neglect has caused LAUTECH to shift its place from no 17 on the webometrics rating to the current position 47.

A protest is scheduled to take place at the government house in Osun and Oyo on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

http://www.firstreporters.com/lautech-boils-as-students-protest-governments-negligence/

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