By Odewumi, Samuel G
SIR: It must be stated that some of us saw the current problem of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, long time ago.
We know it will come to this impasse sooner or later. The first trigger was when we did the first special convocation at UNIOSUN which inaugurated the late Ooni Sijuade as the chancellor and awarded honorary doctorate to then Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State.
Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo also came. In the evening while the dignitaries were relaxing at the golf course at Ada, Governor Akala said something to Governor Oyinlola to the effect that –Ah, so you have such a great university already established for Osun, you should please hand off LAUTECH for Oyo State.
Governor Oyinlola response was emphatic no; that Osun will not let go off its heritage in LAUTECH. It was all in light-mood banter of two brotherly PDP governors. But some of us knew, it goes deeper, especially with Governor Akala.
So when the crack became public, we knew it cannot be papered over even when the two states belong to the same political party.
The crack became wider when PDP lost Osun and Governor Rauf Aregbesola was sworn in as then AC governor.
That was the time I approached Dr Peter Babalola, who was Chief of Staff to Governor Oyinlola but has interestingly switched to Aregbesola camp. He was not well disposed to my suggestion.
Later, Oyo and Osun states became APC with Ajimobi and Aregbesola at the helm of affairs and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the chancellor.
It was expected that this will smoothen the governance issues of the institution. But all expectations were dashed, LAUTECH situation deteriorated perilously instead.
My advice is that the entire assets and liabilities of the institution should be computed. The current annual running cost should also be calculated.
Hypothetically if the net value is 100 and the running cost is 5% of the net value. It means the net value will give 20 years of the running cost.
It means that each state has 10 years ownership credit equivalent. Therefore if Osun withdraws from contributing to the running cost today, it will take the next 10 years to exhaust its ownership credit.
Osun could therefore still be part owner with full rights and privileges for the next 10 years after which Oyo will take full ownership.
Oyo will carry the full burden for the period as “alimony” payment for divorce and Osun will have nothing to lose for the separation. During the period, Osun State will still have the present full privileges of appointments, admissions and governance.
Osun will then be able to divert its normal contribution from LAUTECH to UNIOSUN that is designed to be a mega university from birth.
Bitter separation will damage the image of the institution and academic heritage of the past, present, and future students. I am glad to see a strong and very respectable resolution committee which includes the inimitable Prof Olu Aina, who was a member of the Implementation Committee of UNIOSUN.
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Since the arrangement of joint ownership has not worked even given various combinations of circumstances, it is better to separate amicably.
The fact that Oyo is the owner cannot preclude Osun indigenes from admissions and appointments into the institution. A university is universal by concept. Indeed the more heterogonous a university is the better is the rating.
We have injected our parochial, myopic and low level political thinking into an institution that is supposed to be governed by global intellect and logical reasoning.
Highly rated institutions all over the world are searching and recruiting the very best brains as students and administrators globally to uplift its brand, but here we are reducing our citadels to local community schools where talents and brilliance do not count but mundane sectional or ethnic considerations.
If you have one Mark Zuckerberg (co-founder of Facebook) graduating from your university, the spin-off benefits will be much bigger than the paltry subvention the two states are struggling to provide.
I plead with the current political leaders in the two brotherly states to rise above pettiness, accept the outcome of the committee’s recommendations and bequeath a virile LAUTECH that we all will be proud of to the coming generations.
- Prof. Odewumi, Samuel G, Dean, School of Transport, Lagos State University.
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