LAUTECH is an acronym for Ladoke Akintola University of Technology situated in Ogbomosho, in the present state of Oyo, southwest of Nigeria.
The present location of LAUTECH was formerly occupied by Ogbomoso Girls High School, Ogbomoso.
The conception of the University began in 1987 by Governor Adetunji Olurin, the then Military Governor of Oyo State.
On 13th March, 1990 the Federal Military Government acceded to the State’s request to set up the new University. Col. Oresanya later signed the Edict Establishing the University on 23rd April, 1990.
On 2nd May, 1990 the then military government appointed Professor Olusegun Ladimeji Oke, a distinguished Chemist and a Fellow of Academy of Science (FAS) as the first Vice-Chancellor of the University.
Col. Sasaenia Oresanya himself became the foundation Visitor to the University. Later Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola became the first Chancellor in January, 1991 with the approval of the succeeding visitor, Col. Abdulkarim Adisa.
It was founded on the exemplary visionary ideals by the founding fathers, with 42 local government councils then in the old Oyo state, that now make up Oyo and Osun states.
Late Bashorun MKO Abiola was made the first Chancellor because he was the chief launcher, and he made generous donation at the launching of the appeal fund of the institution.
There is a need to establish the historical background of the institution and to maintain the fact that it was a state University in the then old Oyo state.
Arising from the creation of Osun State from the former Oyo State, the name of the University was changed from Oyo State University of Technology to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and the Edict that established the University was appropriately amended.
The university has two campuses: Ogbomosho and Oshogbo campuses.
As far as I could tell, LAUTECH is the only known university with joint ownership structure today in Nigeria.
However, today, permanent peace seems eluding the institution once known for tranquillity.
The source of the problem
It all started during the previous administration of two former governors of the states; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) and Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo)
The genesis of the problem started when Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola established Osun state University on December 2006.
It has its campuses in Osogbo,Ikire, Okuku, Ifetedo, Ipetu Ijesha and Ejigbo which serves as campuses for Health science, Humanities and Culture, Social science and Management, Law, Education and Agriculture respectively.
With the establishment of Osun State University, it would be technically difficult for Osun State to fulfil its financial obligation to LAUTECH, and at the same time finance its fledging University.
Osun state an agrarian state, and also one of the states that has the lowest allocation of funds from the federation account.
Nigeria operates a special brand of Federalism, where all the 36 states of the federation share all accruable revenue from the Federation account with an agreed sharing formula.
The Fedreration account is managed by the Federal government on behalf of the 36 states that has represetatives on the board.
With its limited resources, Osun state found it difficult to meet its responsibilities of maintaining its state owned University and also its counterpart funding of LAUTECH It became a thorny issue in 2010.
The current Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi made revealed that the former Governor of Osun state, Olagunsoye had a gentle man agreement with the former Governor of Oyo state Adebayo Akala to cede the ownership of LAUTECH to Oyo state.
Coincidentally, the former governor of Oyo, Adebayo Alao Akala hails from Ogbomosho where most of the school’s facilities are located.
In effect to this, Oyo was so desperate to be the sole owner of the institution that it gazetted it on May 16, 2011 and was signed by then governor Alao Akala.
Section 27 stated that “the university is deemed to be solely owned by Oyo state as from December 31 2010.”
Rauf Aregbesola became the governor of Osun state on the platform of APC, a new political party. He took the case to Supreme court and the Supreme court judgement delivered on December 26, 2012, expressly stated that the university was, and will always be jointly owned by Oyo and Osun states
Present situation.
Fortuitously, both governors of Oyo and Osun states belong to the same political party, APC, one expected the duo to amicably resolve the issue.
Unfortunately, the issue is yet to abate, even got worse that the school was practically shut down for more than eight months, almost equivalent to a calendar year.
This necessitated the students to mobilised themselves and went on a protest to the Oyo state Governor’s office in Ibadan.
The protest degenerated to exchange of hot words between the union members of the institution and the Governor, Abiola Ajimobi. It was so messy that it dominated the social media for a long time.
But in reality with recession in Nigeria, it has become increasingly difficult for many states in Nigeria to meet their responsibilities.
As at the last count, out of 36 states of the federation, about 27 states are heavily indebted and struggling to meet statutory responsibilities.
The precarious situation worsen the finances of LAUTECH just like any other government owned institutions.
We cannot rule out undue political interference in the imbroglio. There is a window of opportunity here simply because, the Federal government, state government and the local government is being controlled by the same political party.
A national leader and a major stakeholder in the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently the Chancellor of the institution.
What is in a name?
In Africa, we attach importance to names given to children, objects and substance.
By so doing, names given gives credence to goodwill, fortunes, glad tidings, luck, hopes and destiny.
The institution was named after the first republic politician Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá. He was a Nigerian politician, lawyer,aristocrat and orator who was born in Ogbomosho, of the then Western Region.
In addition to serving as one of the founding fathers of modern Nigeria, he was also elevated to the position of Oloye Aare Ona Kakanfo XIII of the Yoruba.
Due to political upheaval in the then western region in which both Oyo, and Osun states were part of, it was caused by administrative tussle between late Akintola problem and the leader of the mainstream Yoruba, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
He was accused of being a betrayal to the cause of the mainstream Yoruba. This caused confusion in the old western region that eventually led to the end of the first republic in Nigeria.
Some political watchers thought that his name could be a harbinger of confusion, and there may be a need to change the name of the institution in order to exorcise it.
Today’s realities
We should begin to ask the propriety of state government’s funding of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Most state owned universities are barely surviving due to in adequate funding.
LAUTECH’s issue shows the systemic problem in the education sector but owing its peculiarity of ownership structure, its problem can easily be dissected.
In Nigeria’s constitution, education is on the concurrent list. It means the Federal and state government finances education, especially tertiary education. Although in recent years the federal government has licensed some private individuals to establish private university.
Most Nigerians prefer to send their children to publicly owned institutions because it is affordable compared to the privately owned institutions.
Governments for inexplicable or political reasons declined to do the needful regarding the realistic tuition fees commensurable to realities citing poverty and affordability as reasons.
Unfortunately, most public institutions are in dire need of funding as a result of inadequate funding in view of low accruals to government’s coffers, contending needs in other sectors of the economy and the upsurge enrolments to higher institutions. Therefore facilities are over strecthed with decaying and delapidating structures.
Most of these institutions are degree awarding with little or no emphasis on skill acquisition. It is a case of what you see is what you get. Our graduates are becoming unemployable.
My suggestions
1. Our curriculum needs to be overhauled to meet the challenging needs
2. Issue of funding is critical. The truth is that Government alone cannot fund education any longer.
3. Realistic introduction of school fees borne by parents of students.
4. Encouraging alumni of institution to be partners in progress.
5. Introduction of scholarships to indigent students at all levels of government.
6. Empowering and reviving of technical schools to those that could not afford tertiary education.
7. Encouraging blue chips companies to fund research and development that will create fertile ground for innovations and inventions.
8. Publicly owned tertiary institutions organised in a transparent manner, so that they can draw funds from willing corresponding universities from abroad.
9. The governing councils allow to operate freely and independent devoid of government’s manipulation.
10. More emphasis on special funding in science and technological advancement.
This list is inexhaustible.
LAUTECH ownership structure has to be resolved once and for all without fear, favour or sentiment so that the dreams of the founding fathers will be accomplished.
No comments:
Post a Comment