Home City Review Lack Of Funding: LAUTECH Students Take Over Osogbo

Lack Of Funding: LAUTECH Students Take Over Osogbo

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LAUTECH Students on the street of Osogbo...
LAUTECH Students on the street of Osogbo...

It was a tough time for both commercial and private drivers in Osogbo, the Osun state capital on Wednesday when the students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso barricaded the main road that leads to the heart of the state capital for more than two hours.

The students who had earlier in the morning converged at the popular Olaiya junction in their large number disrupted the free flow of vehicular movements for some minutes before taking their protest to the state Secretariat, Abere.

In the evening, the students stopped their protest at Olaiya junction where they blocked all the roads leading to the roundabout with unused tyres, signboards, tables and benches.

There was a standstill of vehicular movements for more than two hours – even motorcycles were disallowed from passing the road.

Motorists were seen maneuvering their ways through the inner streets in the area.

Some of the placards carried read  “AREGBE IS A FAILURE”, “SAVE LAUTECH NOW”, “Stop Playing Politics With Our Lives,  “Pay Our Lecturers, “Save Lautech, Save Our Future”, “Ogbeni Rauf Answer Our Calls”, “Aregbe You Are The Reason Why Jesus Wept”, “Lautech Must Arise Again”, “This Is Not The Change We Voted For”, Lautech Need Peace” among others.

The spokesperson of the students, Lawal Musbau, who said they staged the peaceful protest to show their displeasure against the current strike action in their institution, demanded the quick intervention of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The students said the varsity has been facing problems as a result of political instability for many years which had caused many students and staff serious ‘life deterioration’.

They said that since the assumption of Mr Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state and his Oyo state counterpart, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi-led governments, the university has degraded in value, norms and standard and has also lost dignity amidst fellow varsities due to political instability and poor funding caused by the two governors.

The students  said the strike actions has exposed the  students to many atrocities like suicide and other social vices and has also turned workers of the institution to beggars.

They also agitated for the payment of subventions to enable workers commence work and urged Aregbesola to pay up counterpart fund in order to avoid misunderstanding in subsequent payment.

“After a 9 month strike action embarked by the school unions, due to the non-release of monthly subventions, the governors are yet to stay alive and active to their responsibilities as the founding fathers. And after spending three months in school, the ASUU and JAC are both on skeletal strike with their slogan of No Pay No Work due to inability of owners to fulfill their promises”.

“This situation has stagnated every student on a spot since 2015 till now especially for spending two years for a semester”.

“The entire students of LAUTECH have come together in solidarity to cry out to the governors for quick intervention because many atrocities ranging from students committing suicide, social vices and workers turning beggars amongst others have engulfed the citadel”.

It will be recalled that students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology had prevented prospective candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination from writing their examinations last Monday in the Ogbomoso campus of the institution due to the pervasive industrial actions experienced since last year.

Men and officers of the state Police command were with the students throughout the peaceful protest to forestall breakdown of law and order.

Packaged by Bunmi Oladejo

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