Remarks During the Presentation of the Report by the Oyo State Negotiation Committee on Sole Ownership of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso

When we inaugurated this committee on November 27, 2019, we gave the members a clear mandate, secure a divorce from Osun State in a manner of speaking and get Oyo State sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso. Today, I am happy to officially receive your report. I see you have returned as brave warriors, having fulfilled your mandate.

I remember that on the day of the inauguration, Professor Ayodeji Omole, who served as the committee chairman, promised that you will discharge your duties with integrity and courage. And I must say kudos because you have done exactly that.

So, on behalf of myself, the Oyo State Executive Council, the staff and students of LAUTECH, the people of Ogbomoso in particular and the good people of Oyo State as a whole, we say thank you for a job well done, thank you for getting the job done.

Even while we were on the campaign trail, we had always known that there are no two ways around resolving the incessant strike actions and other issues related to LAUTECH ownership. We were not insisting on parting ways because we do not love our brothers and sisters from Osun State. No. As I have said on several occasions, this severance of relationship is not going to negatively impact the students and staff from Osun State. But it had to be done, for the sake of easier administration and to move LAUTECH as an institution towards our goal of a world-class university. In fairness to all, this was the only solution.

Let me once again, use this opportunity to thank my brother, the Executive Governor of Osun State, His Excellency, Governor Gboyega Oyetola for putting aside all differences, especially partisan politics, all through these negotiations. We appreciate his applying wisdom in taking a stand for what is best for the staff and students of LAUTECH.

I thank Professor Olu Aina who led the negotiations for Osun State. Also, I commend the versatility of Dr Sulaimon Ramon-Yusuf of the National Universities Commission who midwifed the negotiations. 

I am pleased to say that I have signed the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso Bill 2020, into law.

It is now time to move forward with our plans. We will apply to the National Universities Commission (NUC) to convert from a university of technology to a conventional university so that courses such as Law can be taught at the institution. We will appoint the Governing Council to birth new management within the next couple of weeks.

Let me use this opportunity to remind us all one more time that the safety and security of Oyo State is everybody’s business. We must not allow any individuals or groups to disrupt the economic gains that we have made so far. I have always spoken about the economic importance of LAUTECH to the people of Ogbomoso. These benefits cannot be enjoyed if our dear state is plunged into anarchy because some people will not allow the state security agencies to do their jobs. We must all unite to keep the peace in our dear state.

Conclusively, let me talk about a related announcement we made last week. You will recall I promised that we would announce the creation of a higher institution in Iseyin. Well, we have decided that the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences will open its campus in Iseyin this year.

So, let me once again thank the members of this committee for your good work and we wish you the best in all your future endeavours. We appreciate your service.

~ Governor Seyi Makinde, February 11, 2021