LAUTECH calls off strike, students to resume on Monday

-LAUTECH calls off conditional strike

-Students are to resume classes on Monday

-The second semester of the 2016/2017 will now begin on Monday

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has called off the prolonged strike of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho, which involves teaching and non-teaching staff of the university, students are therefore to resume lectures on Monday.

It would be recalled that LAUTECH had gone on strike on June 2 over poor funding by the two owner states of the institution- Oyo and Osun States. Therefore, students have not resumed academic activities since April when they concluded their 2016/17 first semester examinations.

Naija News gathered that the students will now commence the second semester of the session on Monday.

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According to a statement signed by the chapter’s Chairman and Secretary, Dr Abiodun Olaniran and Dr Toyin Abegunde, said: “This is to inform LAUTECH community and the general public that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, LAUTECH branch at its congress of Tuesday 17th October, 2017, reviewed the on-going strike action and has decided to conditionally suspend the action in the interest of our students, the intervention of well-meaning individuals and general public.

“We also, in suspending the strike, take into cognisance, the efforts of the Governing Council towards an amicable resolution of the crisis. Our Union wishes to give the Governing Council and the Administration the opportunity to explore their goodwill in seeing to a permanent resolution of issues in contention. The strike is therefore suspended in principle with immediate effect but full academic activities will resume on Monday 23rd October, 2017”.

The Dean of Student Affairs of the university, Lukman Jinadu, told Premium Times that academic activities will resume officially on Monday as the local branch of ASUU called off their strike after a meeting on Tuesday.

“We are resuming officially on Monday,” he said.

A 500-level student of Agronomy at the university, Oyedeji Ahmed, said the lecturers suspended their strike conditionally in the hope that the council and the management will accede to the demands of their union.

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“The management has paid their salaries for September and upfront for October and November 2017 but the union is asking for the years the management is owing. We are happy the storm is over, we are resuming lectures by Monday,” he said.

The Osun government, in a press release by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Adelani Baderinwa, said LAUTECH resumption was important to the owner governments.

“Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun and Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi were very sensitive about LAUTECH matter and they have exhibited reasonable and convincing commitment to the welfare of the workers of the institution and the plight of the students,” he said.

According to Mr. Baderinwa, Osun government recently released N1 billion while the Oyo government, which initially released N56 million, was making efforts to provide additional fund for the institution.

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“Notwithstanding pressures from some quarters that Osun government should not commit the state resources to LAUTECH again due to obvious marginalisation of the state in LAUTECH, Governor Aregbesola who is passionate about functional education, a team player and a goal-getter will not cease in funding LAUTECH and will stop at nothing in ensuring that LAUTECH is back on its feet.

“The basis of agitation of Osun people is that Oyo indigenes in the employment of LAUTECH are about thrice that of Osun while only one faculty in the institution is located in Osun as against the seven faculties located in Oyo despite the equality in funding by the two states,” he said.

Mr. Baderinwa therefore, advised the unions to continue to cooperate with the council to ensure the academic activities of the institution is back to normalcy.