Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, has assured that the ongoing strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, in the institution would end in matter of days.
He disclosed that the Governing Council was making a serious effort to find a lasting solution to the challenges facing LAUTECH.
Speaking at a press conference at the College of Health Sciences of the university in Osogbo, Osun State capital, he said: “We had our inaugural meeting at the main campus in Ogbomoso on August 9, 2017 and designed a 90-day action plan which has started in earnest.
“We have set timelines that are achievable for the activities of Council in handling the challenges and tasked ourselves to resuscitate the university and redirect its resources in order to fulfil the vision of the founding fathers.
“From the various interactions of the Council with the diverse stakeholders, we have realized that we all are on the same page, working towards the same goal.
“We all realized that the Council should spare no efforts to get the University back on crack and reopen for students to continue with their studies and move on their academic pursuit.
“The Strategic Intervention Team on its own has advised the new Council to interact more closely with the staff members through their Union in order to gain their confidence and boost their morale which was observed to be at low ebbs owing to the nonpayment of their salaries for an upward of ten months.”
“Since we were inaugurated, we have called all the stakeholders and with the way we are now, we are closer to the answer than when we started.
“We may not give a categorical date but we can assure you that, start counting days and not weeks. Let everybody have hope.
“As regard the pattern of funding of the Institution, the take of this Council is that the funding model must change radically. We don’t expect the University to be going cap in hand to the owner State every month if they will fund the School.
“We expect that whatsoever would be provided should be within the basket that enable planning with the resources so that we could also be creative and add value; not just be a body that is just absorbing money.
“We expect that any resource that comes to the system is a resource that will provide something that public and humanity will appreciate.”
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