LAUTECH: NUC Resolves Ownership Crisis in Favour of Oyo

THE National Universities Commission (NUC) on Friday ended the long running battle between Oyo and Osun states over the joint ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Science and Technology (LAUTECH) and the College of Health Sciences , Osogbo.

Under an agreement reached by the two sides, LAUTECH now belongs to Oyo State while the College of Health Sciences is owned in full by Osun State.

A memorandum of agreement (MoA) to this effect was signed yesterday by the governors of the two states -Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun)- in Abuja in the presence of their Attorneys-General.

The MoU guarantees job security for indigenes of either states working in the two institutions and also preserves the rights of all students of both states for all times and purposes.

Executive Secretary of NUC, Abubakar Rasheed, at a meeting with officials of both states in Abuja said the administrative and other costs of LAUTECH would be borne by the Oyo State government.

The executive secretary noted that Osun State,on its part, would bear the financial burden of the College of Health Sciences.

LAUTECH, Ogbomosho was established in 1990 by the old Oyo State government with the main campus located in Ogbomosho, while the teaching hospital was established in Osogbo.

Trouble started when Osun State was carved out of the old Oyo State in 1991, making both states joint owners of the institution.

The joint ownership arrangement was characterised by governance and management challenges, a development that affected the appointment of vice- chancellors to run the affairs of the institution.



The dispute led to irregular payment of staff salaries over the years, as both parties were not taking responsibility.

Source