The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has expressed what he considered the bane of smooth academic activities at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology(LAUTECH) Ogbomoso, which is jointly owned by the Osun and Oyo State governments, saying the two states were financially incapacitated, and not an act of insensitivity.
The governor disclosed this on Sunday , while playing host to some medical students from the Osun State University, who recently returned from Ukraine, after the completion of their studies, solely sponsored by the Osun state government.
Aregbesola explained that the frustrations of the students of LAUTECH, as well as their parents in the face of the unending strike should be a thing of concern to all and sundry, adding that such action portends a great danger to the future of the students.
He argued that it is practically irrational for anybody to think that the two owner states are insensitive towards the plights of the students , stressing that the reality is that the two states were incapacitated financially.
“I am using this medium to appeal to the striking lecturers of LAUTECH to please return to work in the interest of the students whose future are being jeopardized.
“I urge them to reason along the same line of thought of the two owner states for a solution to be quickly found in solving the problem.
“It will be wrong for anybody to have the notion that the two owner state governors are being insensitive towards the situation of the school.
“It is not a matter of being insensitive, the truth is that the two owner states are financially incapacitated if they want to meet the demands of the striking lecturers, there is no way you can give what you don’t have.
“If the higher cadre of the civil service in Osun can agree to be collecting a fraction of their salaries because of the harsh economic condition government has found itself, I see no reason why the LAUTECH lectures can’t reason with government”. Aregbesola said.
Aregbesola emphasized the need for fiscal responsibility and transparency in the financial management of the ivory tower, noting that the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the University should ordinarily be of great help in the running of the school, to the extent of making it self-reliant like many of its status.
He insisted that a thorough and open audit of the LAUTECH accounts remains non-negotiable as an integral panacea to the crisis rocking the school.
“If UNIOSUN with fewer numbers of students than LAUTECH could run successfully within its internally generated revenue, I see no reason why LAUTECH with more students population can not run itself.
“We want this problem to be over so that our children can return to school and pursue their academic carrier.
“I appeal to the lecturers to return to class while a proper audit of the school will be done so as to unravel the real problem of the school and we can correct it”, Aregbesola stressed.
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