Why Gov. Oyetola Should Establish A Replica Of LAUTECH In Ilesa-Busuyi Ayowole Reveals

Busuyi Ayowole has advised governor Oyetola on need to establish a replica of LAUTECH in Ilesa, Osun State.

News Rain Nigeria reports that founder and president of the Busuyi Ayowole Grassroots Organisation in a New Year Day release advised the Osun State Governor, Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola on the need to establish a replica of the Ogbomoso-situated Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ilesa, Osun State.

Why Gov. Oyetola Should Establish A Replica Of LAUTECH In Ilesa

Recall that the Oyo State government has recently taken full possession of LAUTECH.

In an open letter which he tagged ‘Letter of Inspiration’, Mr. Ayowole highlighted the economic impacts of the proposed university and has made a list of items that may be considered in a likely blueprint by the state government if it decides to establish the university.

Ayowole, in his letter suggested that the university be named ‘Ilesa University of Technology’.

Find below a copy of the letter obtained by our correspondents.

How it started

LAUTECH was established in 1990 by the old Oyo State government with the main campus located in Ogbomoso, while the teaching hospital was established in Osogbo.
When Osun State was carved out of the old Oyo State in 1991, the two states agreed to be joint owners of the institution.

However, both states failed to diligently fund the institution and sometimes disagreed publicly on who was responsible for the poor funding.

Reports has it that LAUTECH chapter of ASUU threatened a strike because the university administration had not paid their salaries for 11 months cumulatively.

The vice-chancellor at the time, Michael Ologunde, attributed the non-payment of salaries to non-release of subvention to the institution by the owner states.

Following the threat, the Osun State Governor, Mr Oyetola, released N472 million for the payment of salary arrears of the staff and its teaching hospital in Osogbo.

Although the government claimed to have released the money, the workers were not immediately paid, as a result of which they began the strike.

Again in 2018, the workers went on another strike for two weeks over non-payment of salaries and decayed infrastructure of the institution.

This infuriated the students who had only recently returned to school after an earlier 16-month strike by the workers between 2016 and 2017.