The Chairman, Governing Council, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Professor Deji Omole, has disclosed that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is set to pay the Osun State Government another N1billion on or before the first week of December 2021.
Omole noted that the payment would make a total of N2billion out of the N8billion contained in the agreement on sharing the University’s assets between the two states, revealing that the Governor had also released the sum of N500million to LAUTECH as a grant for the smooth take-off of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Renewable Natural Resources in the Iseyin Campus of the university.
In the first anniversary pronouncement of the sole ownership of LAUTECH and six months of the inauguration of the Governing Council of the institution, Professor Omole said Governor Makinde had paid five out of eight months salaries owed workers of the institution before taking over the sole ownership of the institution, envisaging that the balance would be cleared in the next six months.
Oyo state became the sole owner of LAUTECH on November 20, 2020, following an agreement reached between the defunct owners of LAUTECH: Oyo and Osun states.
He stated: “The Oyo state government has released the sum of N500million to the institution as take-off grant for the smooth running of the school. Indeed the capital expenditure for infrastructure development of the school has been budgeted for in the 2022 Appropriation Bill. This is happening for the first time in the history of the institution.”
Omole affirmed that the 25 percent reduction in fees for students in the school, as announced by Governor Makinde, would take effect from the 2022 session, urging students to reciprocate the gesture by staying focused and shunning anti-social behaviours.
He noted that the Council had been monitoring the finances of the university in a transparent manner so as to ensure prudent management of resources and reporting same to the visitor, who is Governor Seyi Makinde, saying the investment of the governor was already positioning LAUTECH as a choice institution for those seeking admission, as 11, 300 candidates were to write the post-JAMB examination of the university as against 5, 000 in the 2017/2018 session.
In the area of training and manpower development, Professor Omole stated that a staff audit had been carried out to ascertain the manpower needs of LAUTECH.
He said: “We are hoping to inject new blood because LAUTECH is top-heavy and this does not give room for mentorship and successor plan. We have done staff audit. We have also established collaboration with the University of Botswana and the Oyo State Government has resolved to patronise them for consultancy.”
While saying that the last one year of the sole ownership by Oyo State had shown a promising future, Professor Omole appealed to the staff of the institution to be patient with the government in its effort towards repositioning the institution and entrenching it as a centre of excellence.
Nnenna.O
