Trouble In Lautech, You Need To Read This

The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has been shut for  months, leaving the students stranded. Many of them are complaining about the rent they paid before the school was shut. They wonder whether their landlords will ask for another rent when the school reopens.

When two elephants fight, they say, the grass suffers. This aptly describes the fate of students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, who have been idling away at home.

The institution, jointly owned by Oyo and Osun states, has been shut for the past six months over the owners’ inability to fund the school. Since the school cannot get regular subvention, it was run with Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR), which was not enough to meet its needs.

Workers are being owed months of salaries and arrears. This led to a disagreement between management and the workers’ unions, which have held series of protests over non-payment of salaries. Last June, the workers’ unions, comprising the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) declared indefinite action and demanded the remittance of the 23-month subvention owed the institution by the owners and the payment of their salaries.

According to the unions, Oyo State owes eight months subventions; Osun, 15 months. The non-residential institution is now a ghost town, with some of its notable structures overgrown by weeds.

 

The situation has got students worried. They said their future is at stake. They have reached out to the Ooni of Ife, the Olubadan of Ibadan, the Alaafin of Oyo and other traditional rulers for help.

Few weeks ago, the students took to the streets to protest the continued closure of the school and the rumour of fee increment. It was alleged that Oyo State Governor Isiaka Ajimobi suggested fee increment at a town-hall meeting held last month in Ibadan, the capital.

It was said that the owners proposed 65 per cent increment for indigenes of Osun and Oyo, and 75 per cent for non-indigenes. This, they said, would raise the fee to about N350,000.

Ajimobi was quoted to have said: “LAUTECH will continue to maintain joint ownership with Osun State in accordance with the Supreme Court judgement. We have sent people to look critically into the situation of the school. We await their response. We also want the school management to look inwards how to generate income to cater for the overheads.

“They should take a cue from schools, such as Babcock University, which is not being funded by the government and yet, runs smoothly. The government can now look into supporting the school in some little ways. The management, lecturers and students should agree on a way forward to solve the problem.”

Since LAUTECH is not a residential school, the students live off-campus. The rent many of them paid at the beginning of the last session has lapsed, even though they spent only a few months in school. The final year students have vowed they would not pay another rent, because they only have weeks left before their final examination. This may lead to confrontation between them and their landlords when the school resumes.

Olanrewaju Ajayi, a final year Urban and Regional Planning student, wondered why he should pay another rent when he only has two weeks left. He said his rent was due in August when the school was expected to end the session.

 

He said: “The strike is causing a lot of issues for students, especially the graduating classes. Apart from making us feel uncertain about other programmes we have after graduation, the rents paid in our off-campus hostels have been wasted. Does anyone expect students who have not been in school in the past six months to pay for the period they were not around?”

Another final year student, Titus Oluwatomi, said the best way to resolve the issue is for the landlords to declare the period rent-free. “After my final exam, the next thing that preoccupied my mind was the National Youth Service. I never expected I would still be in school by now. Paying another rent was not in my plan before the school went on strike in June. Since we did not use what we paid for, let the landlords overlook the rent. I can’t pay a dime.”

A 300-Level student, who simply gave her name as Adeife, lamented the strike, saying: “This strike has not helped anyone. I only wake up and do nothing all day in  the last six months. There is nowhere to engage in temporary work, because of the economic situation in the country. One is in fact not productive. I can’t even remember anything I was taught. I see my mates in other schools moving to the next level and I am stuck at a level for more than a year.”

Sholagbade Adeyemo, a 200-Level student, said it would be bad if the landlords did not show concern on the effect of the strike on students. He said: “It would not be good if landlords say it is not their business if the school is on strike or not. They should know that the occupancy of their houses is dependent on whether the school is in session or not. I don’t expect any landlord to threaten students with ejection if they didn’t pay for the period they were not in school. Students also need to reach out to the landlords and discuss this issue.”

Tomilola Oladele, an Applied Mathematics student, said she paid her rent the week the school was shut by the workers. She said: “I have lost six-month rent because of this strike. If I had known, I would have delayed the payment and used the money for another thing.

“Believe it, my landlord would be happy now. Some others are yet to get their rent. Many of them would not overlook it because of the current situation in the country. So, when students resume, many landlords would smile to the bank knowing that they have rents to collect.”

Since there is no hope in sight on when the school will resume, the students fear that many of them may not be able to pay for the period they were away. But, a caretaker of a female hostel, who simply gave his name as Mr. Martins, said rent is like electricity bill, which a customer must pay whether or not there is light. “I can only speak for the hostel I manage. The rent will not be overlooked,” he said.

Meanwhile, aggrieved students last Wednesday distrupted a congress held by ASUU members.