LAUTECH students are the grass caught between irresponsible elephants

fuad lawal

October 13, 2016 12:45 PM

Ladoke Akintola University of Technology has now been shut for four months. The Government must act now.

LAUTECH School Gate.

Ladoke Akintola University of Science and Technology has been closed from academic activities for a huge part of 2016.

Long time ago, in a Federal Capital Territory not too far away, the Military Head-Of-State, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida created Osun State out of the Old Oyo State.

Assets were shared between the new sister states, but one baby tied them together; the Oyo State University of Technology, now known as Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.

So both states made it a joint responsibility to run what remains one of the most sought after Universities of Technology in the country. Both states created a six-month rotation system to make this work, but it looks like they have failed at it for the past two years.

According to our sources in the school, the University has been self-subsistent since 2014, with the University running mostly on the school fees of the 25,000-strong student population. That's at least N60,000 per student.

Due to inadequate funds, the staff have earned half salary all this period. Then things took a dramatic turn in May. Just before exams were to begin, it was postponed till June. When June came, the lecturers began to make demands;

No salaries, no examination questions will be submitted.

As expected, students protested. Marched to the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadan, the Ooni of Ife. Radio stations aired their protests. Hashtags were created.

Still, the school remained closed. According to our sources, meetings were held and the Oyo State Government seemed to be cooperating with the school authorities, but the opposite can only be said of the Osun State Government.

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The Oyo State Government even raised the issue of taking over full management of the university, but Osun State remains adamant. Add to the mix a court battle over who gets full control of the school and politicians throwing jabs in every direction.

In all of this, the students' have wallowed in the abyss of time wasting, idleness, and utter hopelessness. Perhaps, the two schools keep their politics aside and bring the future of the students first. The tenures of the politicians might be ending in a few years, but for the students, this is the rest of their lives.

fuad lawal