Real reason LAUTECH is in crisis

The Education Awareness Advocacy Group (EAAG) has reacted to the faceoff between Oyo and Osun governments over Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).

It explained the real reason of crisis was funding disagreement among the owner states.

The situation has witnessed a new development as LAUTECH Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) locked the institution’s gate.

A statement on Wednesday by EAAG coordinator, Ayokunke Olusoga, urged the states to end the crisis soon and amicably.

The body noted 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.

“From our findings, Osun is not responsible for the payment of salaries of workers of the Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso and we appeal to Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to stop playing politics with the lives of students and workers in LAUTECH”, it said.

“Osun and Oyo states had agreed to a template that will see Oyo pay salaries of workers at the University, Ogbomoso for six months, while Osun carries the burden of paying salaries of workers at the Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, also for a period six months and vice versa.

“But while Osun honoured the arrangement, Oyo at some point jettisoned it. From 2013 till date, only Osun has been paying salaries of workers at the Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, the only known to law and the Dental and Medical Council of Nigeria, amounting to N16,604,510,806.12.

“The claim by ASUU that Oyo had paid from January to June 2019, and as such, Osun should pay from July to December this year, should not be the case. Currently, Osun has paid the July and August salaries of workers at the Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, amounting to N465,480,475.31.

“It supported the university in Ogbomoso, with N300,000,000.00, in July, this year. In effect, what this means is that while Osun had cumulatively spent over N2billion on the institution from January to date, Oyo had only spent a little over N1billion.

“In 2017, Osun contributed N1,292,000,000.00 to the University alone, and N1,852,324,279.39 to the university’s Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, making a total of N3,144,324,279.39. Oyo contributed N717,888,795.00 to the university and nothing to the Teaching Hospital in Osogbo.

“In 2018, Osun contributed N2,365,678,157.96 to the Teaching Hospital in Osogbo and another N500,000,000.00 to the university, bringing total contribution for that year to N2,865,678,157.96. Oyo contributed N443,866,554.60.

“So far in 2019, Osun had contributed N1,890,515,268.18 to the Teaching Hospital in Osogbo and another N300,000,000.00 to the university in Ogbomoso, making a total of N2,190,515, 268.18. Whereas, Oyo had only contributed N1,109,842,227,” the statement added.