Students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology ( LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, on Saturday, vowed to embark on protest to Abuja, if the two owner states of Oyo and Osun, continue to refuse to fulfill their financial obligations to the institution and safe it from recurring crisis.
The students who gave the warning while addressing journalists in Ogbomoso, called on Governors Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, to as a matter of urgency resolve the ownership issue of the institution and also do all the needful to ensure the immediate resumption of members of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU ) who went on another industrial action to truncate the ongoing second semester examination.
The President of the Student Union Government (SUG) in the institution, Abiodun Oluwaseun, while speaking on behalf of the over 3,500 students of the institution, lamented that the two state governments have succeeded in putting the lives of the students by their non-commitment to the development of the institution.
He said, " If the two state governments continue to show lack of commitment and disrespect the lives of the over 3,500, students of the institution, we cannot but embark on a 10.000 student match to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to show the entire world the callousness we suffered in the hands of the governors of Oyo and Osun whose priority ought to be building a brighter and formidable future for this nation but has decided to kill it instead."
According to him, the incessant strike action embarked upon by both the teaching and non teaching staff of the institution is already having a psychological effect on the students.
While describing the continuous silence of the Chancellor of the institution, Bola Tinubu, on the crisis rocking the school as a callous act, he appealed to him and the Federal Government to immediately rescue the institution to safeguard the dying educational standard of the nation.
He then called for immediate release of grants for infrastructural development as well as regular release of monthly subvention for payment of salary of workers
The SUG President also called for the full implementation of the report of Wole Olanipekun-led visitation committee and recommendation of KPMG audit report in order to generate more investments and boost the economic and internally generated revenue of the institution.
On the ownership tussle, he noted that the problem of joint ownership of the institution remains a problem steadily eating away the survival of the university, stating that any real lasting solution to the crisis presently encountered by the institution will rest squarely on the two owners state.
He said, “ In the last 20 years, funding and ownership has always been the major source of conflict between the two owner states especially after when each of the two states has established her own university which resulted into neglect of the university.
“We stand committed to doing our utmost as students of this institution with all sense of justice, equity and transparency to ensure that the government meet up with their responsibility and functionality to ensure continuous existence of citadel of learning and take it back to its greater height.”
