LAUTECH lecturers give conditions for resumption

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has said that lecturers of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), will only return to classrooms, when the Oyo and Osun governments agree on how the N1.7billion outstanding subvention will be paid.

ASUU Chairman in LAUTECH, Dr. Biodun Olaniran, stated this in an interview on Friday.

Olaniran made it clear that the N500 million paid by the Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi and his Ondo counterpart, Rauf Aregbesola, would not solve the crisis.

The management of LAUTECH had announced that the school will re-open on January 27, after it was shut for over eight months.

LAUTECH was closed down over non-payment of staff salaries, which led to series of protests by the students.

Olaniran, however, insists the strike was not because of salaries, but to solve the problem of funding.

The ASUU chairman said: “Our position is straightforward. It is not tied to salaries but the sustainable funding of the university.

“The two states are supposed to give LAUTECH N295m as subventions every month but they have not been doing this.

“Oyo State owes us N2.3bn and Osun State is owing N5.3bn but the two states just paid N500m. This is not enough. Although we are also considering the economic realities on ground, that is why we want them to state categorically state how they intend to pay the balance of N7.1bn.

“Is it going to be monthly or how? They have to state this and assure us that from January 2017, they will no longer owe. If this is not done, we will resume and go back to the starting point very soon.”