The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of Nigeria has threatened to embark on another strike action if the unending crisis that has been rocking the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology is not immediately resolved.
The National President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi while issuing the threat in Osogbo, Osun State capital in a press conference held after their protest, pleaded with what he called ‘WEll MEANING NIGERIANS’ to plead with the State Governors of Oyo and Osun state who are responsible for the Institution to immediately resolve the crisis, or they will be left with no choice than ask their members to down tool.
ASUU already is currently observing a two-week warning strike to give an opportunity to Governors of Oyo, Senator Ajumobi, and his counterpart in Osun State, Aregbesola to come on a round table and discuss how to resolve issues raised and save the institution from what it called an imminent collapse from financial abandonment.
They urge the Governors to urgently allocate proper funding to save the university that is already on the brinks of collapse.
The president who was represented by the Akure Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Alex Odiyi at the occasion said the development in the institution has been hampered by outright neglect by the two owner states.
He alleged that the concerned governors have reneged on the Memorandum of Agreement signed with the union before the last strike was called off.
The Coordinator of Benin Zone of ASUU, Prof Fred Esumeh remarked that education was gradually going down the drain, saying “politicians are planning to commercialise the University. We will strike and hope that the Nigeria populace will join us.”
LAUTECH must be funded so it can achieve its objectives by producing graduates who will be useful to Nigeria and the entire world.
Professor Esumeh said the protests which were simultaneously organised in Osun and Oyo States to compel the two owner-states to wake up to their duties were part of the holistic plan to enforce them to do the needful.
Esumeh advised that contrary to the call for the Federal Government to take over the school, ASUU’s stand has been that LAUTECH was set up because the owners felt they could run the university in the first instance.
He said in the worse case scenario, they could borrow the template of the old Bendel State University which was taken over by one of the two states.
Coordinators and chairpersons of branches (universities) across Southwest Nigeria including FUTA, UNIBEN, FUOYE, OAU, UNIOSUN, AAU, EKSU were part of both the press conference and the peaceful protest.
(NAN)