Osun, Oyo bicker over LAUTECH funding

Idowu Abdullahi, Lagos

The Osun Government on Tuesday countered the claim by its Oyo State counterpart over alleged default in the funding the jointly owned Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.
According to the Oyo government, the claim by the Govenor Seyi Makinde-led government was a product of misinformation. Makinde had accused the Osun government of faltering in the payment of salaries.
He also mulled the possibility of dissolving the joint ownership and funding should the Osun state government failed to live up to expectations to tame the recurrence of incessant strikes by the institution.
Reacting to the claim, Osun state government, in a statement by Mr. Wole Oyebamiji, Secretary to the state government, on Tuesday, said that Osun had never abandoned its responsibility to the institution.
Oyebamiji said Osun had always been performing its responsibilities to LAUTECH in spite of the “lopsidedness” in the distribution of infrastructure to the two states.
But Oyebamiji said while Oyo, in 2017, contributed about N717.9m, Osun contributed about N1.3bn.
He added that Oyo contributed about N443.9m in 2018, while Osun contributed N500m to the institution.
Oyebamiji said Osun had been responsible for paying the salary of workers at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, from 2013 to date, amounting to about N16.4bn.
“For instance, from January to June this year, Oyo paid about N1.1bn to the university, while Osun, on the other hand, paid about N1.7bn from January to July this year to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital.
“The N1.7bn excludes the N300m it released to the university in July.
“Effectively, what this implies is that while Osun had cumulatively spent about N2bn on the institution from January to date, Oyo had only spent a little over N1bn.
“From the foregoing, who has defaulted? Rather than attempt to vilify our government, we should be commended.
“The university is a joint responsibility. Whatever decision that needs to be taken on its future must be mutually agreed upon,
“We will never shy away from our responsibilities, just as we will never sacrifice the future of the students of the university on the altar of partisan politics,” Oyebamiji said.