LAUTECH: ACN WANTS N200M SCHOOL FEES SCAM PROBED

The Osun State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has challenged the Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and his Osun State counterpart, Mr Rauf Aregbesola to investigate the allegations of N200 million school fees scam leveled against the management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho.

Also, the party called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to beam its searchlight on the university, with a view to investigating fraudulent practices by some top management staff of the institution and bring perpetrators of the alleged fraud to book.

The ACN in a release issued by its state Director of Research and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere alleged that a N200 million scam was currently rocking the university, alleging that the management of the university had made frantic efforts to cover the alleged fraud.

The party said:  'Information at our disposal revealed that the printing of scratch card for payment of tuition fees was awarded to a company named M/S ROYAL BIRD VENTURES said to be owned by a relation of a top management official. Investigation ordered into the scam was not allowed to commence before the police was ordered to arrest an innocent first-class graduate of the institution that is a programmer with the University, who was tortured to implicate some perceived opponent of the illegal administrators of the institution.'

The statement said further that 'How can an investigation into tuition fee scam of such magnitude be ordered without the bursar of the University, bursary department, and those printing the scratch card investigated, still beats ones imagination'.  We hereby call the two owner state Governors to immediately set up a visitation panel to investigate the scam with the assistance of the anti graft agency.'

The party however commended the Oyo state government and the Oyo State House of Assembly for the bold step taken in ordering the immediate return of all students of the Clinical Sciences and Medical College of the university to their Osogbo campus in conformity with the edict setting up the university.

Making reference to the motion moved on the floor of the Osun State House of Assembly reaffirming  the joint ownership of the institution which was followed by another moved by the Oyo state House of Assembly instructing the Oyo State Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to write the management of the institution and order them to allow all the students return to Osogbo, which is the accredited centre for their course to continue with their studies, Osun ACN said the move has clearly shown and confirmed that ACN governments are a listening government that makes the interest of the public their concern.

According to the statement 'Students of the clinical and medical colleges have suffered untold hardship which was not their own making but rather foisted on them by selfish leaders whose only interest is how to make cheap financial benefits from the agony of others. Many medical students that were suppose d to spend five years have had their stay extended to between eight and ten years without any hope that their plight will end soon.'

However, the party urged the Oyo and Osun state Houses of Assembly to access the suitability of 'the defective structures put in place in Ogbomoso which keeps collapsing and losing its roof on daily basis if we did not want to put the life of innocent lecturers and students at risk.'