Makinde inaugurates committee on ownership of LAUTECH

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has set up a five-member panel of eminent indigenes of the state to advise him on how the state government can take sole ownership of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).

The university, which is located in Ogbomoso in Oyo State, is jointly owned by Oyo and Osun states, having been created when the two states were one.

Mr Makinde said the “committee’s mandate is to, in a manner of speaking, secure a divorce for Oyo State from joint ownership of the university with Osun State.”

In a statement on the official Twitter page of the governor, Mr Makinde disclosed the members of the committee. They are Ayodeji Omole as Chairman, Jumoke Akinjide, Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), Oyelowo Oyewo, and D Shangodoyin.

The committee is to look into the LAUTECH ownership and other related issues.

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The committee is expected to submit its preliminary report in four weeks.

The crisis around the current ownership status of the university became worse after Osun State established its own university.

According to a report in the Guardian, Mr Makinde on Tuesday during a visit to the university said the persistent strike by its workers will be resolved if the ownership of the institution is transferred to the Oyo State Government.

Mr Makinde was at LAUTECH to meet with stakeholders in the institution.

The governor said his visit was to resolve the current crisis which resulted in strike action by staff since November 18.

“This morning, we inaugurated a 5-person Committee; Prof Ayodeji Omole (Chairman), Oloye @jumokeakinjide, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), Prof Oyelowo Oyewo, & @ProfDKSH to look into the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso (LAUTECH) ownership and other related issues.

“The Committee’s mandate is to, in a manner of speaking, secure a divorce for Oyo State from joint ownership of the university with Osun State. I thanked them for accepting to serve and urged them to put their hearts into this work and submit a preliminary report in four weeks,” Mr Makinde wrote on Twitter.