LAUTECH announces resumption as lecturers vow not to comply

After over s months that its lecturers went on strike, academic activities are set to resume in Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, (LAUTECH).

The management of the institution has announced that the school will be reopened on Friday, January 27. The university has been shut down for over seven months after staff protested non-payment of salary arrears.

“All staff and students are hereby informed that the University will reopen for normal activities on Friday, January 27, 2017,” read a statement signed by J.A. Agboola, the registrar, on the university’s website.

“Students are to note the following for compliance: Friday, January 27: Resumption
Friday, February 3: Revision week ends.
Friday. February 10: Lecture free week ends.
Monday. February 13: 2015/2016 Harmattan Semester Examinations begin.”

The statement continued: “All students who are yet to complete their registration are to ensure that they do so and pay their tuition fee during the revision week. On behalf of the governing council, senate and management, headed by Prof. A. S. Gbadegesin, vice chancellor, we wish you all the best.”

However, Biodun Olaniran, chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), LAUTECH chapter, has announced that its members will not end their 7 months strike if their demands are not fully met.

Olaniran told newsmen that the management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology has the liberty to open the school but cannot force them to work.

“The university is at liberty to open the university at any particular time but what it means is that our union will not go back to the classroom even if the students are on ground until our demands are met.”

An official press release issued on the matter reiterated the union chairman’s stand.

“This is to inform members of the public that the on-going strike of ASUU LAUTECH is still very much in force. Much as we are eager to bring the struggle to a close, the government in its characteristic manner has been engaging in empty propaganda and politics of lies rather than honestly addressing the issues in contention.

“The issue is very simple: Adequate funding of the university. The only alternative to this is to insist on running in IGR. If we succumb to this proposal, school fees will be increased in astronomical proportion. This is a sure way of denying the seeming children of the poor masses access to university education. ASUU says NO to this.

“Presently, LAUTECH is being owed a whopping sum of N7.6b by the governments of Oyo and Osun states. It is out of this that a paltry sum of N500m is being released. The question is can we in good conscience say that LAUTECH’s problem has been attended to? It is better to solve this problem once and for all, rather than calling in the students only to resume our strike after one month.

“In the light of the above, ASUU LAUTECH to make it clear that its strike is still in full force. Don’t let them deceive you to send your children to school knowing fully well that we are not going to attend to them. ASUU will make a clear statement to the public when our strike is over.”