The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, have called on the Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun to be sincere on the institution’s matter by allowing true love as a father, to prevail in saving the lives of the staff and students from the impending peril should he refuse to do the needful.
They also called on the government of Oyo and Osun to take decisive action on the ownership of the institution and stop playing with the lives of the workers and students.
In statement signed by the union’s chairman, Comrade Aleshinloye Abimbola and its secretary, Comrade Fajoye Hamzat, the union posited that ”It is now crystal clear that Osun State is fed up with LAUTECH joint ownership. It is only marking time and lying in wait for the total annihilation of what LAUTECH stands for as a university. It has become an annual recurring case with Osun State.
SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES (SSANU) LAUTECH, OGBOMOSO PRESS STATEMENT ON THE ISSUE ON NON-PAYMENT OF STAFF SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES
Gentlemen of the Press,
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
It became imperative for our Union, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, LAUTECH Branch to address the press to properly situate the perennial problem of salary payment in our University leading to incessant industrial action of all the trade Unions on our campus.
We may all recall that this university was locked down by the unions for almost a year cumulative between 2016 and 2017. The trend would have been re-enacted in 2018 but for the magnanimity of our unions particularly SSANU in making sure that all hands were on deck to avert the dangerous trend. In cooperation with the University Governing Council and Management, we consented to prorate salary regime where only net salary will be paid and the balance of the payment will be postponed.
This ugly tread of non payment of salaries reared its head in 2013 December. It was in that month that the one of the two legs of salary payment schedule between Oyo and Osun States developed a problem. Osun State failed to pay December, 2013 salary.
Meanwhile, the arrangement has been that Oyo pays between January and June while Osun takes over the payment from July to December of every year. In 2014, Osun state failed to pay up and remained so up till 2017 when as a fall out of Wole Olaonipekun Visitation Panel requested that each of the two owner States pay One billion naira each to offset part of their indebtedness to the university.
In actual fact, the Visitation Panel reported that Oyo State owed more than two billion naira and Osun State debt was something over seven billion naira. The one billion naira debt paid by Osun was a token of their total indebtedness to the university.
Based on the agreement, the Unions suspended their strike actions on October 23, 2017 when the university was able to pay three months salary lump sum.
In the same vein, in 2018, Oyo paid up her own share though at a strata rate. Though, Osun State refused to pay as usual. The University Management through its ingenuity used internally generated revenue (IGR) to augment the subvention received from Oyo to pay staff salaries and paid salaries out rightly from the IGR when Osun state supposed to pay subventions.
It is also in the record that in 2019, Oyo state paid regularly from January to March and fully restored its monthly subventions to the University in April, May and June.
At the turn of July, Osun state paid a sum of three hundred million naira as subvention for the month of July salary. From thence, Osun state government is yet to pay its subventions in August and September leaving the staff members to be grappling with poverty and perdition of unidimensional proportion.
It now crystal clear that Osun State is fed up with LAUTECH Joint Ownership. It is only marking time and lying in wait for the total annihilation of what LAUTECH stands for as a university. It has become an annual recurring case with Osun State.
The kite of ownership of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital that Osun State is trying to fly is divisive, a ruse and an effort in futility. It defiles every theory of logic and reasoning. With two functional teaching hospitals situated in each of the two states, it must be a concluded matter of one for each. How could such arrangement be a matter in a concern that will override that of the university?
The two owner state governors should come out with a categorical statement over the joint ownership and stop playing politics with lives of our members and students in the University.
We also appeal to the Governor of Osun State to be sincere in this matter by allowing true love as a father, to prevail in saving the lives of our staff and students from the impending peril should he refuse to do the needful.
Thank you all.
Aluta continua Victoria ascerta.
COM. ALESINLOYE ABIMBOLA M. COM. FAJOYE HAMZAT O.
SSANU CHAIRMAN SSANU SECRETARY.
