BY JOHN ONAH, Abuja –
Osun and Oyo states have agreed to share the asset of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, thereby ending the funding disagreement among the two states.
Briefing Newsmen on the resolution of the lingering ownership crisis in the institution in Abuja on Friday, the Executive Secretary, National Universities commission (NUC), Prof Abubaklar Rasheed, disclosed that the mutually agreed dissolution was formalized through the signing of Memorandum of agreement by the two Executive Governors of Oyo and Osun states witnessed by the Attorneys General of both states.
This, according to him, gave legal effect to the transfer of ownership of LAUTECH to the Government of Oyo state and the College of Health Sciences, Osogbo to the Government of Osun state,
“The National Universities Commission wishes to commend and express its profound gratitude to the Executive Governor of Osun state His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola and his Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for their exemplary statesmanship and tremendous sacrifice by putting the interest of LAUTECH and its over 30,000 student above political and other considerations,” he said.
He said that over the years, the joint ownership arrangement has been characterized by governance/management challenges, affecting the appointment of Vice-Chancellor and other principal Officers as well as irregular payment of staff salaries.
Rasheed further explained that in attempt to resolve these challenges and restore normalcy to enable the university focus on the achievement of its mission, the NUC constituted a transition committee to oversee the affairs of the institution for three months.
He noted that although, the committee’s report contained some far reaching recommendation on the resolution of the crisis including a legal frame work for the sharing of assets and liabilities by the two owner states of Oyo and Osun, the dissolution of the joint ownership arrangement was not implemented.
According to him, in response to renewed appeals and calls by various stakeholders for further intervention by NUC, including a meeting with the two governors, a Tripartite committee comprising representatives of Osun and Oyo states chaired by NUC Deputy Executive secretary (Academics), was constituted to interface with stakeholder which has eventually led to the a lasting solution to the crisis.
It would be recalled that the real reason of the crisis was funding disagreement among the owner states.
It was learnt that the joint responsibility of LAUTECH was only to the Teaching Hospital in Osogbo and the University in Ogbomoso, and does not include the Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso, exclusively owned by the Oyo government.
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