LAUTECH Mgt. Cancels Preference For Osun

Oyo Gets 60% Quota

By Ismaeel Uthman

THE Management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, has defaulted on one of the key agreements reached by both Osun and Oyo state governments for the dissolution of joint ownership of the institution.

Investigations by OSUN DEFENDER have revealed that LAUTECH management has cancelled for the 2020/2021 admissions, all preferences being given to Osun candidates seeking entrance into the University in the past.

Both Osun and Oyo state governments had mutually agreed to dissolve the joint ownership of the institution, based on some terms and conditions, among which was that Osun indigenes would continue to enjoy preferences on admission into the institution.

But LAUTECH management, according to sources on the campus, has jettisoned the agreement.

Findings revealed that 60 per cent of the admission quota was allocated to Oyo indigenes, 20 per cent was given to candidates on merit while the remaining 20 per cent was to be shared by ‘others’ for the 2020/2021 admission year, as released by the LAUTECH admission committee.

According to sources, the 20 per cent admission quota allocated to ‘others’ is based on the discretion of the admission committee, Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of the university.

Confirming the information, a non-academic worker of the university, Mr. Muraina Alesinloye, said admission requirement and quota was the prerogative of the LAUTECH management and it was doing that to favour the owner state, Oyo.

According to Alesinloye, the management said the catchment area, which is 60 per cent for the 2020/2021 admission years was the 33 local government areas in Oyo State; 20 per cent for merit and ‘others’ get 20 per cent.

He said: “Osun was not considered at all in the admission. Unfortunately, admission-seeking candidates from Osun had chosen LAUTECH as First Choice. These candidates, if ever admitted, would also be paying non-indigene diffrential tuition fee. If they had known this, they would not have chosen LAUTECH as First Choice.

“The Governor just exposed us to danger here. The Memorandum of Understanding on the LAUTECH joint ownership dissolution is shrouded in secrecy.

“When we insisted on holding a meeting with the Governor as labour leaders (leaders of Osun workers in LAUTECH) after the dissolution, the governor told us that we have nothing to fear.

“He said both Osun and Oyo state governments had agreed that Osun indigenes would still be enjoying ownership preference in LAUTECH for 100 years. And that our jobs remain protected.

“I stood up and told the Governor that the agreement would not stand the test of time. I told him he would be making a mistake if he was relying on the agreement. I challenged the Governor to ask for LAUTECH’s admission list in Medicine; that he would be surprised that 80 per cent of the students there are from Oyo. That is a department of about 100 students and Oyo constitutes 80 per cent of the students. That was while the joint ownership was still in place. We had for long seen this.

“I want the Governor to intervene on this. If he does not intervene on time, it will be disastrous for the candidates from Osun. We had been alerting the Governor before this time.”

In his information, a union leader in the institution who craved anonymity stated Osun could not be given any preference on admission because the ownership of the institution belongs solely to Oyo State, which determines what the management of the university would do, irrespective of any agreement.

According to the union leader, Osun had sold her birthright for a pot of porridge by relinquishing the ownership of the institution to Oyo State alone, while the Memorandum of Understanding on the joint ownership dissolution remains shrouded in secrecy.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr. Lekan Fadeyi, said he could not speak on the matter.