Governors to council: Restore LAUTECH’s glory

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged members of the newly constituted Governing Council of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) at Ogbomoso to restore the institution’s fading glory.

The governor said the council members could attain the feat, even if it would take a “miracle” to accomplish it. Aregbesola spoke at the inauguration of the university’s governor council.

He was in company with his Oyo State counterpart, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

The Osun governor noted that though the task may appear daunting, given the crises confronting the school, he expressed confidence that the new council could turn its fortunes around, judging by their pedigree.

The institution had been grounded for over one year due to a strike by its academic and non-academic workers over their welfare and salary arrears.

LAUTECH is co-owned by Osun and Oyo states.

Members of the new council are: former Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF), Prof. Oladapo Afolabi (Chairman and Pro-Chancellor), Prof. Lai Olurode, Prof. Olamide Adedokun, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), Isiaka Olagoke, Tise Adenipekun and Bade Adesina.

Aregbesola hailed former council members for what he called their exemplary contributions to the growth of the institution in the face of financial constraints.

The governor urged the new team to surpass their feat.

He said: “From your curriculum vitae (CV), we can see that you are highly distinguished. You were selected based on your pedigree. Therefore, we expect extraordinary performance.

“Those you are succeeding did their very best in administering the institution. We are using this medium to appreciate their immense contributions to LAUTECH”S success story.

“LAUTECH must again emerge as the best state university in Nigeria. That is what we have called you to come and do. We want you to perform another miracle, like the first miracle of Jesus Christ, by turning the comatose LAUTECH to the best of all state universities in the country.”

Ajimobi admitted that there were challenges facing the institution, which he said the two states had been working round the clock to surmount.

The Oyo governor urged the university’s workers to sheathe their swords and allow the auditors to carry out a forensic audit of the finances and the workforce to perform their jobs without any hindrance.

Afolabi assured the visitors that the new council would put in extra efforts to surpass the expectations of the stakeholders.

He pledged not to betray the confidence reposed in the council members.

The Nation