The Oyo State chapter of the Action Democratic Party, ADP, has condemned the posture of the owner state governors of Oyo and Osun, Abiola Ajimobi and Rauf Aregbesola towards the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.
The party said that it is unacceptable that the two governors appeared clueless about finding a solution to the crisis in the institution.
Lecturers at LAUTECH, on Wednesday, disrupted the ongoing second semester examination for 2017/2018 academic session because of close to 10-month unpaid salary arrears.
This was after the lecturers had embarked on a two-week warning strike to express their displeasure over non-payment of salaries and decayed infrastructure of the institution.
According to ADP in the statement signed by its Director of Publicity, Alhaja Omolara Adiamo, the action of the governors has already put the lives of the students of the institution in jeopardy, adding that the issue has affected the institution academically and financially as their number of applicants has dropped drastically.
“We are worried. Only last year, the institution resumed academic activities after close to one year of industrial action. It is unfortunate that the two brother governors cannot sit down and look at ways to resolve the lingering crisis.
“The students are at the receiving end. Most of the students have been in the same levels for more than three years. The institution has lost ranking. It is no longer university of first choice. It is worrisome. Despite all the publicized auditing, nothing has been done. The money paid to the auditing firm would have settled part of the arrears”, the statement claimed.
“Another unfortunate thing is that most of the lecturers have become beggars. They cannot even buy anything on credit anymore as they are no longer credit-worthy. Some lecturers have had to leave the institution while some others are frustrated.
“One of the ways by which the crisis can be resolved is to look at the salary owed. The two states should look for money to pay half of the arrears and then monitor everything that comes and goes out of the institution purse.
“History will not be kind to the two governors. While their children study in the world’s best universities, our children are left to study in harsh conditions and wait for unavailable jobs,”
The ADP called on the Chancellor of the institution, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed to come to the aid of the govermors of the owner states because it is apparent that they have come to the end of their tethers on the LAUTECH crisis.
ADP said the unpaid salaries and disruptions in the academic programme have put the local economy of Ogbomosho in jeopardy, sending many petty traders who rely on the teeming population of the institution for their survival out of business.
” We assure the good people of Ogbomosho that an ADP government coming in through the 2019 elections will restore normancy in LAUTECH and bring them back into business.
“We assure parents and students to collect their Permanent Voters Card and vote in ADP to restore the glory of LAUTECH which used to be the best university of Technology and best state university in Nigeria”, the statement concluded.
